The Truth Beneath The Surface
by DevilsWriter
Summary: "Power is the ability to do something or act in a particular way, to influence the behavior of people as a group or as single individuals." When dangerous powers threatens them and their loved ones, they unite to defeat it together.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter one**

_**To achieve, you need thought. You have to know what you are doing and that's real power.**_

_**Ayn Rand**_

"You know kid, you can still pull out; I can find someone else to infiltrate the Cullen's," Bella turned to look at her father with a smile.

"Dad, I don't think the Cullen's can be so much harder than the Volturi, after all, I did lure Alec into giving us the information we needed on the Chicago Project, didn't I?"

"You did, kid, and I'm very proud of you and I dare say that you are better than any man I have at hand," Charlie winked at her and gave her a hug before he took off, leaving Bella alone to prepare for her assignment.

It was risky, but it needed to be done. Charlie Swan was one of Seattle's two most powerful men, the other one being Carlisle Cullen, a doctor and a very popular man. No one knew the real color of the Swan and the Cullen's; a mob boss wasn't greeted like they would have been in the 1920s. But the Swan and the Cullen's had a mutual enemy; the Volturi, an Italian family that would do anything to get their hands on all the money the United States had, slowly working their way through the country.

Carlisle Cullen and Charlie Swan had decided to integrate their families, but Charlie didn't trust easily, with good reason; he had lost loved ones one time too many.

In 1984, Charlie Swan met Renée Higginbotham, a free spirited young woman. He loved her and would do anything for her, give her the world, and he told her so every day they were together. But three years later, she disappeared, not a single trace to follow, and Charlie never saw Renée again.

In 2009 Charlie Swan got a surprise delivered on his doorstep in a shape of a young woman at the age of twenty-two, looking very much like Renée Higginbotham. Her name was Isabella Marie Swan and daughter of Renée Swan.

From the moment he had laid his eyes on the young girl, he knew that his blood was running through her veins and that she had gotten her brown eyes from him. He didn't need to take a DNA test to know that, yet Bella forced him to have one done. That's where they learned that they both hated needles and that the slightest sight of blood would make Bella faint.

Trained by Charlie and his best man, Harry, Bella turned into an even stronger woman than she had been when she first arrived in Seattle in search of her father. Charlie hated having his girl out in the field, fighting with his men, but she refused to sit in his house or in the top security apartment she had, just waiting for the call.

She hated taking a life, but when she needed to be, Bella was ruthless and she was a master with the knife, her preferable weapon if she knew that someone would end up getting close to her. She was also good with a gun, any kind, and she was daily practicing a curved shot.

"Infiltrate, become trusted and get out," Bella said to herself as she pulled on a black hoodie to cover her grey t-shirt. The plan on how to infiltrate the Cullens had been worked on for weeks and was as close to bulletproof as it was possible.

The Cullens owned several houses and buildings in Seattle, but not one of them lived there. Carlisle Cullen, being a doctor, lived in a small town called Forks, three hours west from Seattle. From what Bella had heard, Carlisle Cullen was married to Esme Cullen, born Platt, and it was a marriage by love. Together they had three sons, Emmett, Edward and Jasper, Emmett the oldest and Jasper the youngest, their ages going from twenty-seven to thirty-one. They were all older than Bella, but she hoped that being slightly younger would perhaps lure them into trusting her, the sweet young girl that had nowhere to go.

Charlie and three of his men would drive with her to the outskirt of the small town where she would start to make her way to the Cullen Mansion, apparently placed outside of the town's heart, letting it be surrounded by a vast forest. Bella was going to hike through the forest, hopefully running straight on to their property where it would only take minutes before she would be surrounded by men dressed in black with their guns pointed at her.

Hiking wasn't one of Bella's favorite things and she counted on the forest to make her look tired, disheveled and hopefully she would get a scratch or two alongside with a lot of dirt on her clothes.

Surrounded by Cullen's men, she was going to break down, cry her eyes out, make the men uncomfortable and have her delivered to the boss himself where she was going to feed him a story about the Volturi, one that would help her get into their inner circles and learn secrets, if there were any.

"Bella, it's time!" Charlie called for her and Bella quickly grabbed her old cellphone from Florida, the fake ID Charlie had gotten her and the trace she was going to place upon her bracelet, letting Charlie see and help her through the woods if it was necessary.

She had proved herself for Charlie more than once, but if they wanted to be safe from the Volturi in the future, she needed to get in and out without anyone knowing her true identity afterwards. Bella hoped that whatever she would find with the Cullen's, it would only be information that would make Charlie trust Carlisle fully.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter two**

_**I was now resolved to do everything in my power to defeat the system.**_

_**Oskar Schindler**_

_**Day one…**_

"Okay, the trace is now activated and we will be able to keep an eye on you at all time, even when you're inside the Cullen Mansion," Charlie explained to Bella even though she knew it all; he had told her everything at least five times over the last week. "Okay, today is April 10th, four in the morning," Charlie said, glancing at his watch, "I'm meeting Carlisle to talk about integrating our families the day after Edward's twenty-ninth birthday so I want you out early morning on June 20, at the latest."

"Don't worry, I will be out before that, I promise," Bella assured him, giving him a long hug before she turned to the dark forest and started to walk. The sun would hopefully be out in matter of hours and light her way, but she hoped that she would tumble onto the Cullen's property before daylight, making a big scene that everyone would know off before breakfast.

Bella had never enjoyed the dark, but with her hand clutched tightly around the shaft of a kitchen knife she had bought for her job, she felt somewhat safer than she would have if she hadn't had it. On top of all the noises the forest made, she couldn't see her hand in front of her and she would have killed for a flashlight. It would only have given her problems later, she knew, because she either had to come up with a very good story about how she had gotten her hands on a flashlight as she ran, or she would have to drop it as she got closer to the property, which would then be noticed by Cullen's men as they would most defiantly search the forest after her arrival.

An owl hooted in the distance and Bella laughed when she jumped, her heart hammering in her chest. Somewhere among the trees, a bird started to sing and Bella knew that dawn wasn't far away.

Her phone beeped and she looked at it to see a text from Charlie, telling her that she wasn't far away and that she should just keep walking in the same direction.

She deleted it.

Another bird joined the singing of the first one and Bella saw it as a cue to start running. And she did. She ran as fast as she could, jumping over rocks, branches slapping her in the face, sticking to her hair and scraping at her skin but she didn't care; she needed to reach the Cullen's ground before the sun would rise.

As she jumped over a fallen tree, she landed badly on her right foot, twisting it, but it didn't stop her from running as fast as she could.

Just as the first rays of the sun broke through the trees, she broke through the trees as well, running straight into a well-manicured garden with blooming flowers and cherry trees shedding their flowers.

And an alarm went off.

Barking dogs and shouting men came from the house and Bella gripped the knife tighter in her hand as they came closer, their guns drawn. Standing frozen, she watched with a hammering heart as a tall man came running fast towards her, his body slamming against hers, tackling her to the ground. The air was knocked out of her and for a minute, she struggled to catch her breath.

When her head was cleared and she opened her eyes, she stared up at six men and six guns aimed at her. All of them looked as lethal as the weapons in their hands, even more so, and Bella was afraid that if she even opened her mouth to speak, none of them would hesitate pulling the trigger, killing her on the spot

Her right hand was still gripped tightly around the knife but she didn't notice until one of the men pushed his foot against her wrist, making her gasp in pain and let go of the knife. The man quickly bent down and picked it up before two of them lowered their guns and pulled her up, one of them the man who had tackled her to the ground.

Neither of them said as word as they dragged her across the grass toward the house, not until they had dragged her through a grey hallway without walls and pushed her inside a room with no windows did she hear one of them speak and Bella understood then that infiltrating the Cullen's might be a little harder than she thought.

"I will go and get dad," one of them said, a blond one, who she knew were to be Jasper Cullen, the youngest of the three Cullen brothers. From the way he spoke, Bella figured that the two men who had dragged her inside were his brothers, Emmett and Edward Cullen.

As the door closed behind them, she scanned the room, noticing a camera positioned directly at her and she knew that there were no way for her to give word to Charlie about her positioned without making them even more suspicious than they probably already was. Sitting down against the wall, she wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her forehead against her knees, trying to stay awake as she had been awake for more than twenty-four hours straight.

Her eyes started to drop just as the door opened and when she raised her head, she stared into a pair of kind blue eyes that belonged to Carlisle Cullen.

"You seem to have lost your way I believe," he smiled kindly at her, offering his hand for her to take, helping her to her feet again, her tired body protesting against any kind of movement. "I would like to know why you wandered onto my property, but, as my sons would say, you look like death warmed ups, so I believe it would only gain us to be comfortable." Taking hold of her arm, his grips soft, he led her out of the windowless room, down the windowless hallway and into a very bright room, an office.

In front of a pair of French windows stood two brown leather chairs with a table between them where two cups of steaming hot coffee stood.

"Please, sit down," he gestured to the chairs and slowly, Bella sat down, leaning back but keeping her hands in her lap. "Now, what is your name?" he asked as he handed her a cup.

"Bella," she answered before taking a careful sip of the dark liquid.

"I assume you have a last name as well," he said calmly as he added two teaspoons of sugar and a dash of milk to his coffee.

"Bella Higginbotham."

"And where are you from, Bella Higginbotham."

"I'm from Jacksonville, California."

"It's a great distance, don't you think, to travel from Jacksonville to Forks?" Carlisle asked, cocking an eyebrow at her as if daring her to say against him. Bella only nodded, taking another sip of her coffee.

"Bella, I would like to know how you ended up here in Forks, over three thousand miles from Jacksonville, and I would especially like to know how you found your way into my garden. If you don't know where to start, just take it from the beginning; it usually works," he smiled kindly and leaned back in his chair, sipping to his coffee.

"As you wish," Bella mumbled, looking down at her hands as if deep in thoughts. "I was searching for my father in LA when I one night met a very handsome and kind man named Alec in a bar. We started talking and at the end of the night, we agreed to meet for coffee the next day. The coffee led to lunch and the lunch led to a dinner invitation and at the end of my week in LA, I had met his family and postponed my plans on going to San Francisco. I ended up staying in LA for two months," Bella sighed. She was telling Carlisle Cullen only half a lie; she had gone to LA but to find Alec Volturi, not her father. She had met Alec in a bar because she knew he would be in that exact bar that night and she had flirted with him enough to ask her out for coffee and then lured him into begging her to stay with him.

"This Alec, what was his last name?" Carlisle asked and Bella knew that she had his full attention and any other person who were listening to their conversation; Alec Volturi was famous for using women and he changed them more often than he changed his socks.

"His name was Alec Volturi and he's one of a kind. After only two months of dating, he asked me to marry him and when I refused, he lost it; he locked me up in a room as he threatened me. I realized then that I couldn't stay there, afraid that he might hurt me and I ran. I remember that my mother had once told me that when she was a teenager, she had lived here in Forks, a small town in the middle of nowhere, and I figured that I would be safe here for a while. It might sounds silly and you might not believe me, but Alec and his family is in the mob, the family originally from Italy."

"You are another victim of Alec," Carlisle said as if he had to hear it out loud to believe it.

"You know him?" Bella asked, playing a little dumb and innocent.

"I do, my whole family know him and his family. Bella, I do not wish to frighten you, but my family and I are a part of the American Mob and before you jump to any conclusions, I want you to know that we don't smuggle narcotics, we don't kill for the kick of it and we have nothing to hide. No one in this small town knows about us and what we are and what we are doing, which is to restore the peace in import and find an end to drugs." Bella nodded with wide eyes, Carlisle's words not really any new to her because she had heard them before from someone else; Charlie Swan.

"I have some work to tend to now, but if you take to the right outside my office and to the right at the end of the hall, you will come to the kitchen you will find my wife, Esme. If she's not there yet, wait for her there and tell her that I need her to find a room for you and inform everyone that you are a guest in this house," Bella rose form her chair and nodded, whispering a soft thank you.

Closing the door behind her, she took to the right and to the right again at the end of the hallway, knowing fully well that it was a test from Carlisle to see if she could be trusted, one of many tests she knew she would be a subject to.

Charlie had told Bella on several occasions that if someone in the Cullen's home told her to jump, she would jump, if someone told her to sing she would sing and if someone told her to stick her foot in the flames of the fireplace, she would do it. But it was also important that she showed them trust as well. The faster she showed her trust, the faster they would trust her and she would be able to get hold of the information she needed.

As she rounded the corner, she found herself in a beautiful and light kitchen that was empty. Sighing, Bella took a seat at the kitchen table and folded her arms in front of her so she could rest her head at them as she stared out of the beautiful French windows and at the beautiful garden.

Her eyes were barely closed when she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder and she found herself being pulled up from her seat. The hand belonged to the man who had tackled her to the ground, to Edward Cullen, the middle child.

"Edward, unhand the young woman right now!" the voice belonged to a petit woman with a caramel colored hair, her face heart shaped and kind. Judging from her tone and her posture, Bella figured that it was Esme Cullen. "Your father has informed me why young Bella is here and she will not be treated like nothing more than a thief; you will escort her up to the guest room at the second floor."

"Mother…" Edward started but he was cut off.

"Don't you dare to defy me, Edward, and especially not your father!" she snapped, her hands on her hips and she kept the posture until Edward moved, a firm grip on Bella's arm as she led her out of the kitchen.

"Thank you," Bella murmured sincerely to Esme as she passed her.

"Don't even think for a minute that you will be staying in the guest room for long," Edward growled at her as he dragged her up the stairs. "I don't know what kind of bullshit you told my father, but if you are lying, trust me, I will find out."

"I told your father the truth," she told him confidently, lying. "I cannot control anyone, make them believe my story if they are in doubt, but I can assure you that all I want right now is to sleep; I have been awake for too long." At least the last part was partly true; she had been up on her feet for longer than she desired and she wanted was to lay down on a soft bed and wrap the covered around her body, like a cloud, and sleep.

"If I were you, I would sleep with one eye open," he snarled as he stopped in front of a door to open it, pushing her inside before closing the door behind her. Bella listened to the sound of a key being turned and the lock being engaged.

The sound never came, but she knew better than to see if he was still out in the hall or not; it was another test, one from Edward Cullen himself.

Looking around the room, Bella smiled when she saw a big and white canopy bed, covered with white pillows, blankets and even fur. She didn't even notice the rest of the room as she walked over to it, her hand reached out to feel the smooth wood and the soft textiles.

With a smiled, she stepped out of her shoes and climbed on to the bed, her body shivering with exhaustion. As she nestled her head into a soft pillow, she scanned the room quickly, knowing that she was being watched and sure enough, in the corner by the door, directed straight at the bed, was a camera and she could imagine the sound it would make as it zoomed in on her form in the bed; texting Charlie was still not an option.

Deciding that Charlie could wait a little longer, at least until she could pretend that she was cold and would pull the covers above her head, Bella closed her eyes and breathed in deeply as she thought about how easily and smooth it had been so far.

Carlisle and Esme Cullen believed her story from what she could tell and if she made them believe that she was to be trusted, finding the information Charlie needed wouldn't be that difficult.

But then there was the middle child, Edward. To make him trust her, Bella had realized, would take a great deal of effort and mind. From the few minutes she had been with him and the few words they had exchanged, she knew he was a complex man, one she would enjoy to watch as he let his guards down ever so slowly.

No plan was formed as Bella fell asleep in the big and soft bed, but she dreamt of kicking Edward Cullen's ass. In her sleep, she smiled and hummed softly as she in her dream, managed to get on top of him, a knife to his throat.

The dreamed kept changing and one minute she was kicking someone in the gut, the next she had one hand wrapped around Alec Volturi's neck as she carved an 'S' in his cheek with her knife. The dreamed changed again and she was hugging Charlie, their family safe from the Volturi, along with every family in the United States. Sharply, the dream changed again and Bella found herself standing nose to nose with Edward Cullen, both glaring at each other. Then a knife was driven straight through her heart.

Gasping, she shot up in the bed. As she cleared her head, Bella knew that it would take everything she knew to break down the walls Edward Cullen had. The rest of his family would be a piece of cake compared to him and she found herself wishing that she was climbing K2 instead.

There was a knock on the door and before she could call out, a petit woman with black hair came through the door, followed by a stunning blond woman that didn't belong in the house as much as she belonged on the catwalk, on every teenage girl's walls as a dream.

"Hello," the blond woman said and they both smiled at Bella.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter three**

_**Anybody can become angry - that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way - that is not within everybody's power and is not easy.**_

_**Aristotle**_

_**Day one …**_

"_Hello," the blond woman said and they both smiled at Bella._

"Hi?" Bella said, but it came out more like a question.

"I am Rose," the blond said, walking over to the bed and offering her hand for Bella to shake, which she did.

"And I am Alice," the petit woman with black hair said and danced over to the bed, but instead of shaking Bella's hand, she hugged her.

"Carlisle told us that you were the one who wandered into our garden this morning," Rose said as she sat down on the edge of the bed, Alice sitting down next to her.

"He also told us that you have been a victim of Alec and we just wanted to see how you were doing; Carlisle said that you looked exhausted and were in need for some TLC before the dinner," Alice gave Bella a sad smile.

"Dinner?" Bella questioned, sitting up straighter and dragging a hand through her hair.

"We have family dinner every day and Esme insisted that you were going to be at the table tonight so we are here to help you be presentable," Alice smiled brightly and jumped to her feet, disappearing through the door, returning with three garment bags over her shoulder and a small bag in her hand.

"We want you to go and take a long and relaxing shower while we try to put together something for you," Rose said with authority, pointing at the bathroom door.

"Okay," Bella laughed and did what she was told.

As soon the door was closed behind her and locked, she fished out her phone, quickly scanning the room for cameras before she wrote a quick message to Charlie, letting him know that she was in, that she was safe and already making progress. She then hid the phone inside her hoodie, pushing it into a corner.

The shower was welcoming and she stood a little longer under the spray of water than she needed. When there was a knock on the door, she turned off the water and stepped out, wrapping a towel after drying off and toweling her hair before wrapping it in on the top of her head.

"Coming!" she called, gathering her dirty clothes in a pile on the floor before unlocking the door and stepping out from the bathroom.

"Here's some underwear I hope will fit you; the bra is a 32C," Alice informed, throwing some underwear in Bella's arms.

Putting the garments on the bed, Bella started to sort through them, finding a pair of light peach colored lace panties in her size, and awkwardly put them on before she turned her back on Alice and Rose, letting the towel fall as she fastened the matching bra.

Bella had never been shy so she had no problem standing almost naked in the room with two girls she didn't know.

"You have such a pale complexion that I believe almost any color will look good on you, but I think this one will hug your figure perfectly," Rose explained, handing Bella a green dress. Dutifully, she put the dress on and as she looked herself in the mirror, she had to agree; the dressed hugged her body in all the right places, showing off her breasts and her shapely ass.

The dress was forest green, skin tight and straight cut. It reached her mid-thigh and one the sides there was three inches of see-through fabric, holding the dress together. Her choice in the lingerie was perfect and barely noticeable through the green fabric.

"Stand straight and hold your arms out," Alice commanded and Bella followed through, letting Alice walk around her, inspecting her. "It's beautiful on you and the mesh – you have a tattoo!" Alice grabbed the hold of Bella and inspected the body art through the mesh.

"Let me see!" Rose commanded, pushing Alice aside so she could see as well.

"Is it a problem?" Bella asked as they stared at her tattoo of a dream catcher on her side

"No, not really; just keep it hidden because both Carlisle and Esme hates any kind of body art," Rose said offhanded as she plugged in a hair drier and pointed at a chair; Bella took the hint and sat down.

"You have a very beautiful complexion, almost as pale as porcelain," Alice mussed as she tilted Bella's head back to look better at her while Rose dried her hair.

"Thank you," Bella murmured, almost unable to speak as Alice took hold of her chin and turned her head left, then right.

"A light blush and peach for your eyes will be more than sufficient I believe."

"And you got such a beautiful hair, so long, thick and full of life."

All the kind comments about her appearance were almost intoxicating to Bella. Living with Charlie for the past three years, not a single woman in sight, they had gotten used to her and they treated her like a princess. But since she had been working out for an hour or two three times every day over the past years, she had early stopped wearing make-up unless she needed to. Being pampered with and complemented in one day was more than she had ever gotten in her life, even when she lived with her mother.

But Renée was another story, one that could wait to be told.

"There!" Bella focused on Alice, drawn out of her own thoughts. "Take a look at yourself!" Alice said excitedly and pulled Bella to her feet before she could even react.

Bella had to say, she looked beautiful and ten times more dressed up than she had ever been in her life and she was looking forward to showing herself off a little.

"I'm beautiful," Bella murmured as she looked at herself, her hand coming up to touch her cheek, perfectly colored with a little blush.

"You were beautiful before we got our hands on you; we just pin-pointed," Rose laughed as they came to stand next to her.

"We have to get ready as well now, but we'll be back to get you before dinner," Alice informed her as they started to gather their things. "I'll leave these shoes for you to try on so you can see if you want to wear heels or flats."

And then she was alone again, well almost. She knew they were watching her and no matter how much she made them trust her, they would always keep an eye on her. Apparently, Esme was already a done deal and on her side, but Bella had no idea where she had the boss himself. Maybe it helped that it Alice and Rose seemed to like her, whoever they were.

Locking herself in the bathroom, Bella found her phone, finding a text from Charlie. Apparently Charlie's inside man in the Volturi had found proof that the Volturi was trying to put our false rumors about both Charlie and Carlisle, making it impossible for the two men to trust each other. '_You might not need to stay with the Cullens for long_' he had written in the text: Charlie was starting to believe that Carlisle was a man to be trusted.

Quickly, as she heard voices from the hall, Bella composed a quick reply, telling Charlie that she was glad that he was starting to believe that he could trust and unite the two families, but that she wanted to make sure that her father's beliefs were true.

"Bella!" quickly hitting send, she hid the phone before unlocking the door to join Alice and Rose in the bedroom.

They were both beautiful; Alice dressed in asymmetric blue dress, her hair curled and her make-up natural. Rose was wearing a black pencil skirt and a blood red silk blouse that complemented her height and her curves.

"Let's go to dinner," Rose said with a smile, taking Bella's hand and leading her down the hall she had walked hours earlier and down the stairs she had climbed. They led her into a spacious dining room with a beautifully set table, the walls decorated with art and to the West there were French windows that made the room bathe in the glow from the late afternoon sun.

"Oh, how beautiful you are, Bella," Bella turned to see Esme coming from the kitchen, carrying a bowl with salad, placing it on the table.

"Thank you," she smiled shyly.

"Why don't you girls take a seat and I'll get the roast; Carlisle and the boys will be here soon," Esme smiled before disappearing again.

"You can sit on Esme's left side," Alice said, pulling out a chair for Bella, who dutifully sat down. Alice sat down next to her and Rose across from Alice. Their placing looked odd to Bella, but she reminded herself that they were the only there and that people had yet to arrive at the table.

"Let's eat," Esme sang as she entered the dining room, a delicious smelling roast in her hands.

"Shouldn't we wait for Carlisle and the boys?" Alice questioned as Esme placed the roast in the middle of the table.

"We should but when he and the boys can't come to dinner in time, we start without them; Carlisle may be the boss and have the authority over his men, but I have the final word," Esme said with a raised chin as she poured herself some wine. "Eat," she commanded with a smile, picking up the knife to carve the meat.

The roast looked and smelled delicious and Bella's mouth watered as she watched the meat being carved and placed on her plate, the meat pink and juicy.

"This is delicious," Bella said truthfully after the first bite.

"Thank you, dear," Esme said with a smile. "If you like this, you will like the dessert as well." Bella couldn't think about dessert, her whole body and mind focused on the heavenly food she was consuming.

"Are you sure that Carlisle doesn't mind that we started without them?" Alice asked, looking rather nervous.

"Alice, there is no one in this house that I cannot handle, including Carlisle, so please, honey, relax and eat your dinner."

"But Carlisle-" Alice started to protest but was cut off by Carlisle himself entering the dining room, looking rather handsome and happy.

"What about me?" he asked with a smile, sitting down at the end of the table, opposite of Esme.

"Our dear Alice here wasn't sure if it was a good idea for us to start dinner without you boys at the table," Esme explained, smiling warmly at Carlisle as she spoke.

"Alice, after all these year, you should know that Esme will always have the last word in this house, no matter what," Carlisle laughed softly as he served himself.

"I know," Alice laughed, joining Carlisle, "but you are after all the boss and it is hard to forget at times, especially when we know what you are doing when you're not at home or even at this part of the property."

"Alice!" someone hissed and Bella turned to see Edward taking a seat in front of her on Esme's right side. A blond guy sat down next to Alice and a burly looking one with short an dark hair sat down next to Rose, giving her a passionate kiss before looking at the food with raw and hungry eyes.

"What Edward? It's not exactly a secret that the property is simply huge; she would have found out one way or the other, but boy, what will she do with that kind of information?" Alice slapped a hand to her cheek softly, her eyes wide as she faked distress.

"Oh shut up, Alice, you know that we have to be careful and I don't understand why she's sitting here at the table with us," he snapped, glaring at Alice.

"Someone needs to get the stick out of his ass or get laid," Rose muttered, making the guy next to her bark out a laugh.

It was stopped by someone clearing their throat: everyone turned their attention to Esme.

"God, sometimes I wonder how old you all are really," she sighed, shaking her head. "Edward, Bella is a victim of our enemy, therefore we will take care of her until she is ready to either go back to her mother or keep searching for her father. Alice, Edward is right about us keeping information from Bella; we don't want to drag Bella any further into our world that she already is" Bella felt rather uncomfortable as Esme walked her way around the table, especially when she was talking about her. "Rose, your comment was uncalled for and Emmett, try to keep your voice down, will you?" everyone was silence when Esme was finished, the only sound their cutlery against their plates.

"We need to take Bella shopping; she only got the clothes on her back and that just won't do," Alice broke the silence and Bella shuddered as she heard the word '_shopping_'; she would rather be held at gunpoint or beaten half to death than go shopping. It would though, be the perfect torture if she ever would end up captured. She would probably sing after thirty minutes inside a dressing room with tons of clothes to try on.

She had nothing against fashion though and kept working on her personal style every now and then, but there was no need to shout it out.

"I don't like shopping." -"You want to take our prisoner shopping!?" Bella and Edward expressed at the same time, one of those things shocking Alice and it was not Edward's use of the word '_prisoner_'.

"You don't like shopping?" Alice asked, looking at Bella as if her head had just shrunken to the size of a pea.

"It's just not my kind of thing," she said truthfully with an apologetic smile.

"What is your kind of thing?" the blond man next to Alice asked, wrapping an arm around Alice's shoulder.

"Well, when my mom tried to sign me up for ballet, I managed to talk her into letting me start with Mixed Martial Arts instead," Bella shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal, but she knew that she would be able to use it to get on the guys good side, at least two of them; Emmett and the blond smiled, a grin flashing quickly between them, but Edward just kept glaring at her.

The rest of the dinner was uneventful and the dessert just as delicious as the dinner had been; strawberry pie with whipped cream.

After dinner, Alice and Rose introduced her to Emmett and Jasper, their husbands, before escorting her back to her room. On the way, Alice told her about the house and how to find her way back to her room or the kitchen if she ever got lost.

It was valuable information for Bella, information she used that night as she followed Edward from his room, hiding in the shadows of the house, and to what appeared to be a private gym in the Cullen's house.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter four**

_**The attempt to combine wisdom and power has only rarely been successful and then only for a short while.**_

_**Albert Einstein**_

Day two under the roof of the Cullens had been uneventful; the most interesting that had happened had been convincing Alice to believe that Bella would just slow her down during shopping and that she would know what to bring back for Bella to try. It all had happened during breakfast, which Esme had insisted that Bella also ate with the family, and it had ended up being the breakfast entertainment for them all but Edward.

The day had been spent in the room she had been given and Bella was glad that she had hours to herself to plot her next moves.

After dinner, Bella had gone back to the room where she had dressed in some sweats, a tank-top and a too big hoodie that Rose had smuggled in for her after Alice had shown off everything she had gotten Bella, which also included a small arsenal of workout clothes and three pair of shoes for different activities.

She had sneaked out of her room as soon as she heard Edward leave his own and as the night before, she had followed him to the gym, hiding in the shadows as she tried to find a way to read him, which seemed to be impossible.

That's where Bella found herself the third night, crouching in the shadows as she watched Edward work out, working with weights and punching a back. As she watched his muscles flex with every movement he made, his upper body coated in a thin layer of sweat after he had thrown away his t-shirt, Bella couldn't deny that he was an Adonis, built like a fighter and a Greek God at the same time

Her eyes roamed over his back, from his broad shoulders to his lower back, where his shorts hung low, and to his full-sleeve tattoo on his right arm.

Even though she hated it, Bella had to admit that Edward was a sexy man, but before she had known of the tattoo, he hadn't been quite her kind. Now, it was a different story; tattoos, the tasteful ones, were a weakness from Bella's side.

"What the fuck are you doing in here?!" the roar that echoed through the gym and frightened, Bella jumped to her feet, fully alerted and ready to fight if needed. "Spying on me, prisoner?" Edward asked with a smirk as he stalked closer to her, glaring, his eyes showing no emotions other than possible hate.

"No," Bella defended herself, squaring her shoulders.

"Oh really?" he asked, getting closer to her, forcing her back up against the wall. "So what would you call this then, sitting in the dark and watching me?"

"I was just curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat, remember," he smirked and Bella knew that if he really wanted to, he could kill her; Edward Cullen was ruthless and a legend among young men in the mafia. But he wouldn't do it, Bella knew, because of his family. "And your neck looks very fragile so I don't believe it would take much to snap it," his hand came up to her neck, brushing against her skin softly before he took hold of her throat, squeezing.

Suddenly, Bella had no doubt that he could kill her if he really wanted to; he was strong enough to lift her off the ground by her throat, so it wouldn't be a problem snapping it as well.

"Did you follow me?" he asked, slowly releasing his hold on her neck, making it possible for her to nod meekly. "I don't know why you felt the need to follow me around in my own home in the middle of the night, but it doesn't matter; you had no right to do so." As quickly as he had pressed her up against the wall and taken hold of her neck, he released her. Though she wanted to slide to the floor, Bella squared her shoulders and stood her ground.

"As I said, I was simply curious," she shrugged her shoulders, winching slightly as she felt the soreness around her throat.

"Then let me remind you again," he said as he turned away from her and started to walk away, "Curiosity killed the cat!"

She saw his attack before he even spoke the last sentence. Instinctively, she fell to the floor as his fist went through the air and before it hit the wall where her head had been and her left leg went out, swiping his legs from the floor.

The floor was padded, breaking his fall, but Bella still had the chance keep him down. Quickly, she straddled him and pinned his arms to his side so he couldn't touch her. She stared down at him as he tried to gather himself, taken by surprise from her defense. Though she didn't like it, she had to admit that he was quite handsome, even though it seemed like would rather kill her than let her walk away when the day would come.

"And this is me reminding you that during dinner, I told everyone that instead of ballet, I started with Mixed Martial Arts and just so you know, I'm good," she whispered in his ear with a snicker.

"This was just luck; let me see how you would do in a real fight," he challenged her, lying perfectly still underneath her.

"That means I have to release you," she pointed out, knowing fully well he was planning on that.

"Don't worry, I can always fight you in this position; it doesn't stop me and it's just a challenge," he smirked and Bella wanted to slap the smirk of his face.

"You are good, I saw it before you noticed me, but I doubt that even you can fight when you're immobilized," Bella pointed out as she changed her grip on his arms.

"Please, let me surprise you then," he bucked under her and Bella had to use her strength so he wouldn't throw her off him. He bucked again and again when he suddenly relaxed and Bella was sure that he had given up already and with her hands on her hips, she was ready to point it out.

"See? I –" suddenly a pair of long legs came under her arms, hooking over her shoulders. He bucked again and as he did, he threw her off him.

Bella went through the air, landing hard on her stomach on the padded floor. The wind was knocked out of her and when she tried to suck in air, her lungs burned and her head was spinning.

Then came the pain, rushing over her body like icing cold water and burning her like boiling. Gasping in pain and rolling over on her back, she couldn't hold back the whimper that escaped from between her lips.

"Fuck!" she hissed, her body spent as she adjusted to the pain.

For a good fifteen minutes, she laid still on the floor, only moving now and then to see if the pain was still there. When she managed to get up on her feet, she noticed that Edward was gone, disappeared, and she wondered how long she had been lying there in the gym, alone.

Stiff and sore, pain radiating through her body with every movement, she staggered to her feet and made her way back to the bedroom she had been giving. For a minute, Bella hated Edward more than anything and wanted to tell her father that he couldn't trust a single one of the Cullen's, but she knew well that if Carlisle Cullen joined forces with her father, they would be stronger than the Volturi and they might be taken down for good.

Both the bathroom and the big bed was inviting when she entered the room. A shower or a hot bath would make her feel so much better, but instead, she headed for the bed, stripping out of her clothes, leaving a trail behind her until she crawled underneath the duvet, the soft fabrics embracing her.

~O~O~O

The sun filtered through the window above the bed, patterns playing on the wall and birds singing from a tree in the distance. It was perfect, the softness, the warmth that enfolded and the light. It was simply perfect.

Until she moved and could feel the soreness from the small assault from the night before. As she sat up in bed, her body protested and all she wanted to do was to stay underneath the duvet, but she needed to keep her act up. What she needed was a hot shower that would loosen her spent body and get her ready for the night before.

Just as her feet hit the floor, she could hear the faint voice of Eminem coming through some speakers, then the faint sound of water running; her bedroom was next to Edward's bathroom and it was time to get up.

With some effort, she managed to get up, stiff as she was, without falling over and dragged her feet to the bathroom where she turned the shower on, letting the room get filled with steam before she stepped under the hot spray. She took her time, getting her hair properly wet before reaching for the shampoo, softly humming a familiar tune as she did. The humming soon turned into low singing and before she knew it, she was singing out loud, her voice filling the bathroom.

_It might be your smile, 'cause it can change my day_

_Blue eyes that chase my blues away_

_It might be your touch_

_That keeps me coming back for more_

_Loving words that keep me going strong_

_That heart of hers I hang my future on_

_What it is, well, I can't say for sure_

_It's just she's got this thing about her_

_She got this thing about her_

_Like the magic in your favorite song_

_You just can't put your finger on _

_In her arms when we're all alone_

_I get the feeling that I've come back home_

_She's got this thing about her_

_She stops time when she moves through a room_

For Bella, Chris Young was a man with an incredible voice and a man who knew how to use it.

Stepping out of the shower, her hair dripping and her body looser than before, she toweled off in the bathroom before wrapping the towel tightly around herself before she went back to the room. She had forgotten the camera in the corner the night before when she stripped naked and again when she had woken up and gotten out of bed, but what had been done had been done and it was nothing she could do with it.

Clothes weren't something she was swimming in at the moment but as she left the bathroom, she noticed clothes lying in the bed, separated into two piles. The first pile contained a light blue lace top, a white cardigan and light jeans and a pair of white lace flats. The clothes were beautiful but the other pile contained clothes that were more "Bella friendly"; there was a black hoodie, a white t-shirt, dark blue skinny jeans and military green Chucks.

Dressed in the more "Bella-friendly" assemble, Bella made her way down to the kitchen, expecting to find the whole family getting ready for breakfast, but the kitchen was dark and there wasn't a single person in sight.

Hungry, Bella decided to see if there was anything easy, like cereal, in the cupboards to eat.

And so the hunt started.

Bella went through every cupboard, only to find everything else she didn't need, like pots and pans.

She was about to give up her hunt when something in her mind told her that maybe the door next to the kitchen door might hide something.

The smile that broke out, spreading across her face, was impossible to hide when Bella found out that the door was indeed hiding something; a fully stocked pantry.

It was like walking into an edible Narnia and there were even seven kinds of cereal, much to Bella's delight, a selection that would satisfy any need that you would have. Even Coco Puffs was there but Bella didn't think it would be a good idea to feel so at home after barely twenty-four hours and open the box of Puffs. Instead she settled on a box that contained a mix of dried fruit and wheat flakes.

With a bowl filled with cereal and milk, Bella took a seat at the kitchen table, close to the window and as she ate, she watched the sun filter through the thick trees and fill the still dark kitchen with a warm glow. The day seemed promising and a plan formed in her head; if Alice and Rose decided on a quick dip and some sunbathing, Bella was going to timidly ask them if she could join them. When they would say yes, she was going to sit down next to them, fully clothed in the hoodie and jeans. She knew that they would react ad one of them would let her borrow a bikini. Then the plan on getting Edward to accept her as a guest in his family's house would begin.

Bella had a feeling that it would take more beating that flaunting to get him to accept her, but she was a decent looking woman and she was going to use every asset she had to make him accept her. Her fighting skills were the best she had, but her taught body was a bonus only a few men were able to resist; she hoped Edward wasn't one of them.

Finished with her quick breakfast, Bella rinsed her bowl and spoon before putting it in the dishwasher. She had barely closed it when she heard the door open and when she turned, no other than Edward was standing behind her, his arms crossed across his chest and his eyes narrowed.

Bella decided to play.

"I don't know why you're giving me the stink-eye when it was you who gave me a beating and just left me lying on the floor when I was clearly in pain," she said, which only made him narrow his eyes even more, leaving only two slits to stare at. "I barely managed to get up the stairs afterwards; at least you could have helped me," she continued when he didn't say anything.

There was still no answer and when he just stared at her, she decided not to waist much of her time on talking with him.

As she walked past him, he turned slightly and took hold of her arm, his hold so tight that it was almost hurting her.

"I'm sorry," he said before letting her go and Bella smiled, knowing that she was getting under his skin and was getting closer to breaking him down, slowly though.

Through the breakfast and most of the morning, Bella stayed in her room, lying in the bed and staring at the ceiling, playing the victim, maybe smearing on a little more than was necessary. The hours were well spent, forming different plans for different situations and scenarios, plans that would take her home to her father and her family soon; she missed them all greatly.

That reminded Bella that she hadn't talked with her mother in almost two months and she wondered how she was doing. And little Lily. Bella didn't feel terrible for not talking more to her mother, but she did feel terrible for not being a better sister to Lily. She would four soon, Bella remembered.

Thinking about her mother and sister made Bella think back to why she had decided to find Charlie.

Bella never managed to find out why her mother had just left Charlie without saying goodbye or even give him a reason. Renée had remarried when Bella was four, to a man named Phillip Dwyer. He was a kind man who loved both Renée and Bella. He helped raising Bella, thought her how to drive and told her about the birds and the bees. He was like a father to her, but both Bella and Phil knew that he wasn't and he accepted that Bella one day would want to find her biological father, he even helped her find out if he still lived in Washington.

Phil died in 2007, only days before Bella's twentieth birthday, killed by a drunk driver on his way home from work.

A week later, Renée found out that she was pregnant. Bella stayed home with her mother to take care of her, cooking, cleaning and paying the bills, but as the moths went by, Bella learned that her mother had always loved her father. It had been easy ignore those feelings when Phil was with her because she loved Phil as well, but without him, she focused more on Bella and saw the love she had left behind all those years ago.

When Lily was born, Bella had been at her mother's side at all times but it didn't take long before Bella felt that she was trespassing in her own home. It was clear that her mother loved Lily deeply, just like she had loved Phil.

She had felt a little unloved and she had told her mother that. Renée had only told her that Bella wasn't in the center anymore and she would just have to deal with it.

Their bond hadn't been the same since, though they tried to talk at least once every month.

"Bella, are you awake?" sound of a knock on her door and someone calling out her name drew Bella out from her deep thoughts.

"Yeah," she called out, sitting up in bed, smoothing back her hair. In came Rose, carrying something dark green and dark blue in her hands.

"We got worried when you didn't come down for breakfast," Rose said, sitting down on the bed next to Bella. "Edward told us that you had already eaten when he came down so Alice and Esme thought maybe you needed some time alone to adjust," Bella nodded as Rose spoke.

"It's a new place for me, a place I don't know and-"

"It's bullshit!" Rose said fiercely and Bella couldn't hide the smile. "Yes, you've never been here and so on, but what you need then is to get to know us all. A great way to do that is to join Alice and me down by the pool in ten minutes," she rose from the bed and dropped what she been holding into Bella's lap before leaving.

"Oh, Edward wants you to meet him in the gym an hour after dinner tonight."

**AN: The song is off Chris Young and is called "She got this thing about her".**

**I hope you all are enjoying this story, though it's not even near the end yet. Please let me know of what you think about it.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter five**

_**Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality.**_

_**Edgar Allan Poe**_

"_Oh, Edward wants you to meet him in the gym an hour after dinner tonight."_

"I guess you wonder why I wanted you to meet me here tonight," Edward said, walking into the gym and locking the door behind him. As she heard the lock click, Bella was fully alerted. "I admit that my way of handling the situation last night was unprofessional and simply said, I was an asshole." Bella waited for the three words that would actually make it okay that he just left her in the gym the night before, but she also knew that she would never hear them.

"You can add some more words, like jerk and dickhead," she said with a straight face, crossing her arms across her chest, making sure to push her breasts up and show them off in the tight top she was wearing.

"Can't you just accept my apology?"

"It wasn't an apology; you just admitted that what you did was wrong," Bella sneered at him.

"Whatever," he mumbled, walking over to a floor to ceiling cabinet. "The reason why I actually wanted you to meet me here was to get to see you in action and see if you are all words or not," he opened the doors to reveal a vast collection of different weapons to train with, all of them padded so they would hurt anyone.

Bella stared at them with wide eyes and she wanted to use them all to kick Edward's ass.

"Choose our weapons," Bella didn't need any time to know which one to use. She marched over to the cabinet and laid her hands on two sticks, about a foot long each, and walked back to the middle of the room.

Edward didn't hesitate but grabbed two himself and joined her on the floor, cracking his neck and stretching his arms before taking his stand.

Bella hit first but Edward blocked her.

The only sound in the room was the sound of their stick clashing together and their labored breath.

Every time Bella blocked Edward's hit, she would quickly jump and aim for an unguarded place on his body and whenever she would hit her target, adrenalin surged through her body and she found new power to beat Edward.

When they stopped, they were both standing.

"You are good," Edward breathed, throwing his sticks on the floor, kicking off his shoes and taking of his t-shirt as he walked over to a bench with what seemed to be a small fridge next to it, stocked with cold water. "Here," he said, throwing a bottle at Bella, which he caught easily.

Instead of joining him on the bench, Bella sat down where she was sitting, kicked off her shoes and took a sip of water before she started to stretch, preventing stiffness and soreness for the morning.

"We're not going to be able to find out which one of us is the better one with strategic fighting," Edward said after five minutes of silence, standing up. "We need to fight without hands until one of us wins."

"Fine by me," Bella said, jumping to her feet and cracking her neck before pulling her top over her head, leaving her in only a training bra and tights.

Edward's first shot hit Bella on her upper left arm and to Bella it was a weak one. She knew he was stronger and could probably hit her hard enough to send her across the room, so when she got her shot, she used all of her power ad hit him hard in his right pectoralis, making him stagger backwards. Smiling in triumphal, she sent a kick his way, but he blocked it easily, throwing her off balance. He used the opportunity to push her hard, making her fall on her ass, before he threw himself on her.

On the floor they wrestled and more often than not, Bella found herself underneath Edward, trapped and struggling against his strength.

It was impossible; he was simply stronger than her, but that didn't mean he was smarter than her. Stopping her struggle, Bella pretended to give up, huffing in annoyance. When he stopped and smirked at her, Bella acted quickly and in a blink of an eye, she was straddling him, holding him in a grip that he could impossible get out of.

Believing that she had won that easily, Bella smirked back at him and didn't notice the position they were in. If she had been focusing, she would have noticed that they were in such a compromising position that if they were both naked, Edward could have easily entered her with a swift trust.

Edward's face was positioned right against her chest, against the slick skin of her breast, and he had a view that no man would complain about; straight down Bella's cleavage.

Bella could feel that Edward was getting a little well too comfortable and before he could act out any of his fantasies, Bella changed the position again and instead pressing him against her chest, she was pressing his face down into the floor.

Releasing him and getting off his back, slowly, Bella backed away, ready for a second round, adrenalin surging through her body like electricity. She watched Edward quickly jump to his feet and face her, his stance telling her that he too was ready for another round.

Standing on opposite ends of the room, they started to run towards each other. Just as they were about to pass each other, Edward's right arm shot out and it would have taken Bella to the ground if she hadn't quickly kneeled and jumped back to her feet behind him.

Swiftly, she tried to take him to the floor, but as if reading her mind, Edward jumped and then grabbed a hold of her and throwing her across the room. Bella landed easily on her feet, kneeling, and instead of running towards him again, she ran away from him. She jumped up and took hold of a beam in the wall and climbed up as Edward reached her and just watched her. When he tried the same, she pushed herself off the wall and spun around in the air before landing like a cat on her feet behind Edward.

He turned slowly to look at her and there were no denying the sexual tension that suddenly exploded between them. In three long strides, their hands were on each other as their mouths explored.

Their hands were hungry, as well as their bodies. It was suddenly as if their minds and bodies were as one; just as Bella thought about jumping up and wrapping her legs around Edward, his hands came to rest on her ass, ready to assist.

With his head buried in her neck, he guided them over to a tower of mats where he kneeled, with Bella still wrapped around her, knowing that they would be out of sight if anyone were to enter the gym.

Bella fell back against the mats and made quick job of taking her training bra off. Edward's eyes were lustful and hungry when his eyes landed of on her breasts. She used his distraction to their advantage and freed him from his sweats before she slid out of the rest of her clothes.

There was no hesitation as she slid down on him and she didn't bother being quiet; the fullness was exquisite and the moan that was building up in her was loud and erotic.

~O~O~O

She wasn't lying in her bed, that was for sure; she would recognize the softness anywhere but it wasn't here.

Stretching, Bella opened her eyes to meet the dim lightning of Cullen's gym. It suddenly came to her then and as she turned her head to the left, it was confirmed; she had had sex with Edward the night before in the very gym where anyone could walk in on them.

There was no regret in her; she had needed it and he was a very good, no, exquisite fuck. And there was no regret when she started to get dressed so she could go back to her room and get ready for the day, or bed; she had no idea what the time was.

Just as he had done the night before, she left him alone in the gym

It was barely past six in the morning when Bella entered her room and collapsed on the bed, the softness as familiar and welcoming as the soreness from the night before.

Bella slept through most of the morning and didn't rise from the bed until nine, long after the breakfast at seven, and she then stayed in the shower, tired, until the water ran cold and she had no choice but get out.

In the bed room, a surprise was lying on the bed in form of Edward. Lying on the bed as if it was his own, he looked ravishing and hunger surged through Bella once again. She walked quietly over to the bed, ready to drop the towel any time and jump him, when he suddenly looked up at her with cold ad lustful eyes that only were gas to her already growing fire.

"You left me in the gym."

"Tit for tat," Bella smirked, getting closer to the bed.

"It was worse than what I did because you left me naked and unconscious."

"As I said, tit for tat," she smirked again, reaching the end of the bed. "Now, get those pants off," she commanded, dropping her towel to reveal her flushed body.

He yanked down his pants and Bella crawled on top of him, centering herself right above his erection before she slammed down. They both groaned loudly of the feeling and Bella couldn't move at first, savoring the feeling of being in full control of the man underneath her. When she slowly started to move, she could feel Edward shudder and she increased her speed.

Leaning back to rest her hands on this legs, his angle changed and with every trust, every little movement, her climax grew closer. She was breathing heavily and shuddered with each trust, her climax as close as it could get, when a knock was on the door.

Bella stopped and was about to demount him, but Edward grabbed hold of her hips and forced her to stay.

"Keep going," he growled quietly and Bella couldn't deny him because she wanted it as bad as he did.

She continued her speed from where she had stopped and her climax was climbing high in matter of seconds. They climaxed at the same time, Edward's fingers gripping her thighs tightly. Bella held on to his arms as she shuddered through her climax until it subsided and she could relax. She fell to her side, her breathing heavy.

The knocking on the door had stopped and she wondered if they had made any noises or if they had been as quiet as she had imagined. It didn't matter though; she was sated to the very bone and in need of another shower.

She watched as Edward pulled his pants back up and left, neither of them saying a single word.

For three weeks, that was the last time she saw Edward. Rose and Alice said that he had gone away to see a friend, but Bella knew that he was working because Jasper and Emmett was gone for a while as well. Without Edward hanging over her shoulder and sending her the death glare, it was easier for Bella to grow closer to Alice, Esme and Rose. Even Carlisle joined them whenever Alice suggested a movie late at night or a trip into Seattle.

One morning when Bella woke up before everyone else, three weeks after Edward and the other guys left, pieces started to fall into places for Bella.

"I never got the chance to ask you why Edward wanted to meet with you in the gym that night," Rose asked Bella after joining her that morning.

"He just wanted to see if I was any good," Bella answered as she got herself a second cup of coffee to help her wake up some more.

"Good in what?" Rose questioned suggestively.

"Fighting and that's all," Bella said, giving Rose a pointed look as she sat down at the table again.

"Well, it sounded like the two of you were having fun the morning after," Rose sniffed , her nose high in the air but Bella could see that she was trying to mask a smirk.

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"I think you do and I'm not going to say anything; it's none of my business. All I'm saying it that you should be careful incase Alice and Esme finds out; it will start a whole process of turning wheels and ideas that will lead the two of you together," Rose warned just in time before Alice and Esme entered the kitchen, Carlisle not far behind them.

"Ah, you are up," Esme smiled as she saw them. "It's breakfast time then. Carlisle, can you please find eight eggs in the pantry for me?" Esme asked her husband as she found a bowl and a frying pan.

"Of course, honey." Before Esme could react, eight eggs were on the counter, just waiting to be used for the breakfast.

"What have you two been talking about?" Alice asked as she joined them at the table, no cup of coffee between her hands; Alice didn't drink coffee.

Before Bella could open her mouth, Rose was on it.

"Not much, just talking about how quiet it is, actually, without our boys with us."

"You're right," Alice said after a minute, taking in the silence. "I've never noticed before."

Suddenly a light went up for Bella and she a little stupid for not considering it before because it made perfect sense; this wasn't weak and feeble women but strong ones that would fight next to their men, kill if it was needed.

The first day after the guys had left made much more sense, the way they had acted, as if they had no idea what to do with their spare time; apparently they used to come with them whenever they left the state or the land.

"Emmett and Jasper is coming home in two days," Carlisle said as he too sat down with them, a mug of tea between his hands instead of coffee.

"What about Edward?" Esme asked and Bella noticed the look Carlisle sent her.

Was Edward's job a different one than Emmett and Jasper's?

"I'm not sure but not for another week at least."

After breakfast, Bella locked herself in the bathroom and fished out her phone from behind the bathroom cabinet and turned it on; she had started turning it off and only sending messages to Charlie every third day to make sure that her information was somewhat correct, and to save the little of power she had left on her phone.

As she informed Charlie that Edward, Emmett and Jasper had been gone for three weeks, she made sure to tell him that she suspected that their women didn't just sit at home, knitting and drinking tea while their men were away. After the text was sent, she quickly got a reply from Charlie where he laughed at her and assured Bella that he knew that they usually followed them everywhere and that Carlisle rarely stayed at home, sending only the boys to do his work when it was out of the country.

Charlie had his best men on tracking Edward down and find out what he was doing.

In the shower, Bella tried to see if she could see the end of her little mission. She had stayed with the Cullen's for a month and she only had seven weeks and a few days left if she wanted to be out of the house before June 20th. So far she hadn't gotten as much information about the Cullen's she had hoped for but she had learned that they were more trustable that she had imagined, especially when they took her in without much questioning.

She had not decided if it was good or bad information yet.

If the Cullens were too trustable with strangers, they could easily ruin Charlie without even knowing it. Both families could lose everything to the Volturi if the Cullens would make one minor slip. Their lives would be ruined and Aro and his brothers would finally get the power they hungered for.

Shaking her head as if in clearing it, Bella started from the beginning of her little emission again as her dark thoughts was making it impossible to see a good end to it all.

She had learned some minor private information about everyone except Edward, who was the hardest of them all to read. She had learned the size of the land and the house and even thought it wasn't the most important one, she had shared the information with Charlie, who had found it rather interesting.

Turning of the water, Bella decided that she was going to give herself two more weeks to see if Charlie could trust Carlisle. She had focused too little on Carlisle and too much on the people around him. It didn't matter if Charlie could trust Emmett and Jasper or the girls and Esme if he couldn't trust the man who was their father and husband, their boss, trainer and guardian.

She sincerely hoped that anything she would be able to find on Carlisle would only be good information that Charlie to hear about and smile, knowing that the joining of the two families would happen, would make them both stronger and their loved ones safe.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter six**

_**The only way to predict the future is to have power to shape the future.**_

_**Eric Hoffer**_

_She sincerely hoped that anything she would be able to find on Carlisle would only be good information that Charlie to hear about and smile, knowing that the joining of the two families would happen, would make them both stronger and their loved ones safe._

Bella was woken up by loud noises one night and like a zombie, she rose from her warm bed and staggered into the hall, her hair out of the neat braid she had made before bed the night before and her tank-top and underwear leaving all but nothing to the imagination.

The sight that met her was not what she had expected and neither was her reaction to the sight.

There in the hall was Edward, clad in nothing but a pair of shorts, his body covered in sweat as he wrestled an unidentified dark haired man.

They both had wild eyes and when they noticed her, the dark haired man got free from Edward's grip and pounced at Bella, his eyes black as the night.

Surprised by his attack, Bella shrunk away instead of holding her stand, waiting for him to slam into her and throw her to the ground.

He never came.

Instead she heard a thud and when she looked up, Edward was standing over the dark haired man, who lay unconsciously on the floor.

Their wide eyes met and Bella body took full control of her, numbing her mind and sense of sensibility as she threw herself at him and wrapped herself tightly around him. Blinded by her arousal, all she needed was Edward and she could feel his body respond to hers as she kissed him as if her life depended on it.

With Bella wrapped around him, he walked blindly towards her bedroom door, unaware that he almost walked right into the doorframe. Nothing mattered as he entered the room and kicked the door shut. All that was in his sight was Bella and how she would look like naked under him again, or naked above him, riding him as if he was the only living thing left on earth, keeping her alive.

What Edward imagined, so did Bella. She couldn't wait to feel so good as Edward had made her feel before he suddenly disappeared.

Reaching the bed, she was thrown down on it, pouncing a few times on the mattress before settling down, spreading her legs ever so slightly and inviting him.

There was no hesitation and pounced like a hungry lion, ripping her underwear off before making short work on her top by ripping it in half.

To Edward, Bella was a perfect example on how a healthy body should look like and he especially loved her round and soft breasts, how a single touch could make her nipples harden and make them look like two rubies against her milky white skin. He loved everything about her body, the swing that gave her the hour glass and her hips that indicated that she had a round and firm butt.

But most of all, he loved the little gathering of rounded flesh between her legs, flesh that would split like an ally and reveal a beautiful cave, a cave only a few men could dream to enter and explore it's softness.

Giving in to the ecstasy, Bella's head fell back on the mattress and her back was arching as Edward entered her.

~O~O~O

"It's been two weeks dad and I haven't been able to find anything that would give you a reason to not trust Carlisle," Bella whispered into the phone. It was in the middle of the night and she had locked herself in the bathroom so it wouldn't be caught on tape and no one could hear her. "He is a saint, Charlie, only doing what he needs to do to keep the people of Forks safe from the evil claws of the Volturi."

"_I trust your opinion, Bella, and if believe that I can trust Carlisle, I will. Now, I don't see any other reasons for you to stay with them so I want you to make them believe that it's better if you go your own way._" Charlie was right on that part; if she stayed too long with them, she could easily slip and throw away her cover. She needed to get out of the house as soon as possible without making any of them suspicious.

After saying their goodbyes Bella went to bed but sleep didn't find her. Deep in her stomach dread was created. After the weeks she had spent with Alice, Rose and Esme, she had grown close to them but not as herself. To them she was Bella Higginbotham, not Bella Swan, daughter of the powerful mob boss Charlie Swan.

The next morning Bella woke up early and dressed herself before she gathered the little of belongings she had been given over the past two months with the Cullens.

She had slept poorly during the night, her eyes evidence of the lack of sleep; she hadn't looked forward to telling everyone that she wanted to leave them and go on with her life.

When she heard Edward's door open and close, Bella took a deep breath before she left her room to join them all in the kitchen.

As she descended the stairs, she could hear them chat happily in the kitchen as she hovered outside the door before joining them. Six heads and six pairs of eyes turned and took her in, the last and seventh pair of eyes ignored but Bella didn't care.

"Good morning Bella," Esme greeted her as she placed a steaming cup of coffee in the empty space between Edward and Emmett before returning to her seat next to Carlisle.

"Good morning," Bella smiled back to them all as she sat down, taking in all the delicious food as she realized how hungry she really was.

During breakfast Bella couldn't help but just sit there and smile as everyone talked; the atmosphere in the kitchen was amazing and Bella hoped deep inside that they wouldn't hate her for too long after learning about the real reason for staying with them.

After breakfast Bella lingered, helping Esme clear the table and take the dishes. When it was only Carlisle, Esme and herself left in the kitchen, she took the chance to talk with them.

"Can I talk with you?" she asked them as she was putting away the last plates.

"Of course," Carlisle said, both of them taking a seat at the table again.

"I will be ever grateful that you took me in and the last two months have been good for me,; I've been able to relax and getting to know you all have been a joy. But I think that it is time for me to continue my search for my father." Carlisle looked thoughtful before she spoke.

"If that's what you want, we will not hold you back."

"Do you know anything about your father? His name or where he lives?" Esme asked.

"My mother only told me his name once, when I was ten, so I'm not sure if I remember his name correctly, but I believe that his name was Billy and I know that he is from Forks."

"That's not much but if you are sure that this is what you want, we will wish you the best of luck."

An hour later Bella was standing in the middle of town, driven there by Carlisle and Edward in a tinted car so she wouldn't be able to locate their house. She wanted to call Charlie right away and let him know that she was on her way back to Seattle, but she knew that she was being watched. Instead she started a little pretense of asking the local people of Forks about her mother and father, if anyone could remember her mother and if they knew if they had ever been together.

After an hour of walking around in the small town she saw the car that had been following her drive away and she made her way to the bus station, where she got on the only bus to Seattle.

~O~O~O

"He's a saint!" Charlie huffed. He and Bella were sitting at the kitchen table a Wednesday morning two weeks after Bella had returned home to her own family. Edward's birthday was less than twenty-four hours away and Charlie was getting antsy.

"Carlisle Cullen is a good man who treats his men with respect so I know that together, the two of you will be even more powerful than the Volturi itself," Bella said as she helped herself with a second serving of Billy's delicious pancakes.

"This will be a week full of surprises," Charlie beamed.

**AN: in the next chapter, things are heating up and I hope you all will like it. Surprises and changes with color the chapter. **

_**DevilsWriter**_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter seven**

You will know that forgiveness has begun when you recall those who hurt you and feel the power to wish them well.

Lewis B. Smedes

"_This will be a week full of surprises," Charlie beamed. _

"Thank you," Bella smiled at her father as he helped her out of the car. Their driver had just stopped outside the Cullen's house; the house was looking as beautiful as ever as people were arriving as late as them to the party to celebrate Edward's twenty-seventh birthday.

Inside, Charlie and Bella was directed to the left by two men dressed in black. To the towns people of forks, they looked simply like two ordinary men, but Bella knew that Carlisle had placed them at the entrance to make sure that uninvited personal, being the Volturi, wouldn't be able to enter the house hidden among the invited guests. Besides, the flesh colored wires behind their ears and the black microphones on the size of button was easy to spot for the trained eye.

For the occasion, Charlie was wearing a tailor made black suit that had been finished only the day before. His polished looks were finished off with a crisp white shirt underneath a dark silver grey west with a matching tie and Italian leather shoes.

Bella was stunning at his arm, her curves shown off like art in a bottle green, strapless dress. It was floor length and fitted her body like a second skin without being tacky or make her look cheap. It was a simple dress with a delicate split in front up to her knees and to keep it elegant, Bella wore simple black pumps with three inches heels. Around her wrist was a thin silver bracelet with a single diamond that Charlie had given to her when they celebrated their first Christmas together. Her make-up was natural with only a hint of a rosy blush to her lips and her cheeks, and her hair was gathered to an elegant chignon at the nap of her neck.

Charlie muttered something under his breath as they entered something that could have been a ballroom and Bella had to look closely to see that it was a room that had been extended with party tent out in the garden. The job had been thoroughly done and it was almost impossible to see.

Immediately, Charlie found someone he knew and Bella stood by his side and listened to their conversation. When a young waiter came by them with a tray with glasses filled with champagne, Bella asked if he had something none-alcoholic, but he apologized and pointed in the direction of the bar.

In the bar she asked the bartender for a glass of water with lemon and she smiled friendly when he handed her sparkling water in a champagne flute.

In a search for her father, Bella found the man in honor of the night, dashing in a dark green suit and black shirt with a black tie. He looked perfectly handsome where he was standing. He had yet to notice her and Bella used the opportunity to take a good look at him, his tasseled reddish hair and his intense green eyes. He smiled at someone and gave them a small wave before he came towards her to the bar. Bella sipped to her lemon water as he came up to her side and ordered a Corona with double lime.

It was funny how a change of scenery, a different setting or something as simple as different clothing could make someone blind. Bella knew that she didn't look that different from her everyday self with her everyday clothing and from when she would dress up, but then again, no one in the Cullen family would have expected to see her at a party that Bella Higginbotham wasn't invited to.

Charlie waved at her from across the room ad without giving Edward a second glance, Bella crossed the room to join her father again.

"Didn't he recognize you?" Charlie asked when she reached him.

"I don't believe so," she said, sipping her cold water. "He didn't look at me, not that I noticed at least, but there's no hurry now, is it?"

"No, no hurry. I think the boy can celebrate his birthday in peace, I am just curious about their reaction."

"Me too. I believe I can become great friends with Alice and Rosalie, if they can look past the fact that I lied to them," told her father just as she saw Emmett and Jasper join Edward at the bar, Alice and Rose not far behind them.

"Don't worry about that, kiddo; they would be crazy if they can't," Charlie reassured his daughter. Just then Edward met Bella's eyes and she knew he recognized her.

She watched him inform the others and one by one they looked up, recognizing both her and the man at her side.

"I do believe the party is about to start, dad," Bella said to Charlie, unable to look away from the Cullens. "They know who I am now and that you are my father." Together they watched Jasper walk away from the others. Not long after, Carlisle's voice filled the room.

"I am sorry to say that the celebration of my son has come to an end due to a family crisis. I must therefore ask everyone that didn't come here with Charlie Swan or aren't associated with either him or my family, to please leave the property as quickly and quietly as possible. Thank you." There was a small rumble of disappointment, but the humble people of Forks left without any trouble and the room was soon empty, Bella, Charlie and some of his men on one side, Cullen and their men on the other.

It all reminded Bella of old gangster movies where the two fighting parts would end up in a room, standing on a mirrored length away from the middle of the room, as if an invisible line was separating them. A memory of her and Phil watching _The Untouchables_ together flashed through her mind, but as quickly as it came, it disappeared.

Nothing was separating the Swans from the Cullens.

"I am disappointed and I feel betrayed," Carlisle said as he slowly walked to the middle of the room, away from his family.

"You have all the rights to feel so," Charlie said as he too walked to the middle of the room, away from his men. Bella stayed at his side though; after all, she had been in the middle of it all and done the deed.

"I believe that we have met before but under very different circumstances. Now, who are you really?" Carlisle asked Bella, holding out his hand.

"My name is Isabella Marie Swan, daughter of Charlie Swan and Renée Dwyer, former Swan, born Higginbotham. I prefer to be called Bella, though," she stepped forward and shock Carlisle's hand.

"Bella, I would like to know how much of your little story was true."

"Other than falling in love with Alec Volturi, my story was true; I infiltrated the Volturi to hold of documents they had and we needed, documents that didn't belong to the Volturi."

"You are the vixen Aro have been talking about," Carlisle mussed. "Charlie, I understand that you sent someone to infiltrate my family, I can't just let it go." Bella didn't understand and looked puzzled at Carlisle as he waved his right hand and Edward came to stand at his right side.

They exchanged a few quite words Bella couldn't make out before they faced her and Charlie again. Quickly, Edward grabbed Bella by her arm and dragged her with him till they were standing a few steps behind Carlisle.

"Let go of my daughter!" Charlie demanded, reaching for Bella but he stopped when Edward pulled out a knife from the back of his trousers.

"I said I understand why you did it as I did the same, but I can't let it go without doing anything." Carlisle's voice was calm, so calm that it almost sent chills down Bella's back.

The words between Carlisle and Charlie started to flow and they flew quickly between them, and Bella couldn't make out a single word.

Engrossed in the inaudible conversation between Carlisle and Charlie, Bella didn't hear Edward hiss in her ear to kneel and her legs gave out when tried to force her down in a kneeling position.

"You did the same thing, Carlisle, and you said it yourself; one of your men infiltrated my family, so I don't understand how it's any difference that my daughter infiltrated your family," Charlie huffed.

"Tell me Charlie, have you met the hacker that joined your family?" Carlisle asked.

"Of course!"

"Ok, then tell me how many times you've had breakfast with him, how many times you have spoken with him, smiled and laughed with him?"

"I can't say that I have, but how the hell is this even relevant?!"

"It was my family!" Carlisle roared. "My man, Garret, was only in your presence once over two months! Your daughter laughed with my daughters, hugged them, they helped her when it seemed that all she had was the clothes on her back. We took care of her and it was all a lie!" you could have heard a pin drop in the silence that followed Carlisle's roar.

No one dared to say a word and when he barked out Edward's name Edward didn't answer, but moved closer to his father. It was not a shock to Bella that Carlisle wanted to make an example of her and she stayed stone faced, even when Edward's blank face turned into a smirk.

Without a word, he kneeled down in front of her, careful to show off the knife he had in his hand. As he placed the knife at the split of the fabric, Bella didn't flinch, but waited for him to act and when she could hear the sound of ripping fabric she didn't care.

She knew what he had in mind when the sound of the ripping fabric stopped and the split ended at the juncture of her legs, so it was no surprise for her when Edward demanded her to spread her legs; he wanted to humiliate her in front of her father, his men, Carlisle and the rest of the Cullen family.

The back of Edward's hand stung her cheek when she refused and he tried again, ordering, though this time adding a _please_ at the end, in a hope that it would soften her up. But Bella's mind was hard as stone and couldn't be moved, not even when Edward ordered two of their men to hold her as he forced her legs apart, revealing her black silk thong.

"What the hell are you doing?" Charlie roared and Bella watched him pull out his gun and come her way, but Carlisle was fast and before Charlie could get close to her, the mouth of Carlisle's gun was pointed at Charlie's forehead.

It was like they were in a bubble of their own, Edward and Bella, as he slowly did what he could to humiliate her without right out fucking her right there on the floor.

The blade came underneath the fabric of her underwear and in a swift movement, the small piece of fabric was gone and the air felt cold against her sensitive skin.

Bella watched Carlisle, Charlie and his men looked away.

"Humiliation isn't working," Edward mumbled to himself when he didn't get a reaction out of Bella, especially when he reached down between her legs to prove that it all had turned her on. "I recall you telling us that you enjoyed fighting and I just wonder how much you can take." Bella watched as Edward raised his right hand, making a fist and she waited for it to connect with her body.

"Stop!" Charlie yelled and Edwards stopped, looking over his shoulder to the glare at the man. Bella knew that he was going to give up her secret and at the moment, Bella didn't care who knew because she had trouble breathing.

Carlisle lowered his gun as he listened to Charlie and for a brief minute, his eyes met Bella's and the hate, disappointment and betrayal she had seen earlier were gone.

"Edward, stop," he said softly but with enough authority for Edward to listen to his father.

"Dad, if you want to make an example, I suggest that you don't interrupt me."

"First of all Edward, hitting a woman that can't defend herself, no matter what she's done, is something I hope I will never see you do. Second, Bella is, according to Charlie, pregnant and I would rather examine her to see if he is in fact telling the truth," with a wave of his hand, the men that had been holding her, let go of Bella's arms and as she got to her feet, her joints popped loudly.

"Thank you Carlisle," Charlie said as he wrapped his arm around Bella protectively and followed Carlisle out of the room and down a corridor that Bella remembered from the first day in the Cullen's house.

"In here," Carlisle opened the door opposite from where Bella remembered his office was. "Only Bella," he stopped Charlie as he tried to follow Bella inside and before he could protest, Carlisle closed the door and locked it.

It was a small examination room with everything Carlisle would need to stitch up his men whenever injured. In the middle of the room was a table and she took a seat on top of it, closely watching Carlisle as he took of his suit jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt.

"I assume you have taken a test already," he asked as he prepared a syringe.

"Six actually, three different brands and everyone were positive."

"Very well then, give me your arm please," Bella extended her arm and squeezed her eyes tightly as Carlisle slowly pushed the needed into her arm to withdraw blood.

"Are you all right?" he asked as he slowly pulled out the needle and looked up at her for the first time since they had left the others.

"Not a fan of syringes, that's all," she opened her eyes as Carlisle taped a small cotton ball to her arm. "You might now believe me, but just so you know, I am sorry for the way I fooled your family and lied to you all. But I hope that you will understand with time that I only did it to help Charlie and I knew I could trust you from the moment I met you. If you decided to merge your family with Charlie, I can promise you that you will regret it because you will be the strongest family in America and you will have the best men ever existed." She watched the back of his head as his shoulders slumped and Bella knew that he knew she was right, but it didn't feel like a triumph.

"How far along do you think you are?" Carlisle asked instead, changing the subject.

"I'm not sure, two months perhaps; I've missed two periods and I had the last one just before I came here in April."

"Ok, while we wait for the answer, I would like to know who the father is because if you are in fact pregnant, that mean you had sex with one of my men while under my roof and I must say, I don't like that."

The look he was giving Bella said it all; he could have looked past the treachery, with time, but sleeping around with his men was the last drop. She could lie, Bella thought, but one way or the other they would find out who the father was, especially when it was born.

"It's Edward," she sighed, looking down at her hands. "It wasn't supposed to happen, but done is done and I'm not going to trap him into a sour and hateful relationship; he can do whatever he want," she said quickly, jumping off the table as Carlisle shot to his feet and marched of the room. Bella followed, the sound of her heels against the floor echoing through the corridor.

"Edward!" he roared as they entered the main wing of the house. Edward rounded a corner and followed Carlisle as he turned on his heel and marched back down the corridor. Bella picked up her dress and half ran after them.

"What is it?" Edward asked as they all three entered the examination room, sending Bella a dirty look before focusing on his father.

"I've told you time and time again to keep it in your pants because one day you will get a surprise you won't like, but as soon as we get a female under the roof that's not family, you fuck her and now the two of you have to deal with the fact that you are parents to be!"

Edward didn't say anything but walked out, giving Bella the death glare on his way. He slammed the door shut and they could him bang against the walls.

"Take off your dress and lay down on the table so I can take an ultrasound of your belly," Carlisle said in a tired voice, handing her hospital gown to put on. He busied himself with his back to her as Bella shimmered out of her dress and put the hospital gown on, backwards of course to give him access to her belly.

"This might be a little col," Carlisle warned as he squirted some jelly on her lower stomach. Bella stared at the ceiling as he moved the stick around her stomach. "You see this," Carlisle pointed at a small dot on the screen after freezing the picture, "That's your baby."

"That?" Bella pointed at the screen, in awe.

"Yes, that little dot."

After Carlisle had gotten it confirmed that Bella was indeed pregnant, he left the room quickly ad Bella assumed it was to talk to Charlie.

Bella was standing in her underwear when the door shot open and she looked up to see an angry Edward standing in the doorway. She didn't bother to cover up but started to put on her dress back on.

"I want a paternity test," he growled walked up to her, forcing her up against the wall. "I don't believe you and I will bring you down if you are trying to force me into anything."

"Do whatever you want, I don't care," Bella shot back, pushing him away.

Later that night, after hours of doing nothing, Carlisle and Charlie came into the living room. Charlie didn't look so happy and he didn't say anything, but just walked past her out into the night. Bella mumbled a goodbye and rushed after her father.

The drive home was awful and Charlie didn't say a word to her until the car stopped and it was only to inform her that she should start packing because they would be moving in with the Cullens.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter eight**

_**The attempt to combine wisdom and power has only rarely been successful and then only for a short while.**_

_**Albert Einstein**_

_-they would be moving in with the Cullens._

Bella looked around the room she had been given in her new home. It wasn't the same room as the one she had had when she had been their guest, but it was just as beautiful with a big and soft bed up against a window facing east. It was starting look like her room, with pictures and books on the shelves, her clothes in the closet and her own bedding, but it didn't feel like home, not even after two months in the house.

Ever since they had moved in, Bella felt as if no one wanted her in the same house as them. They barely talked to her during dinner or whenever she was in the same room with them, so Bella had started to spend more and more time in her room, first reading her normal books but as she started to days after days in her room, she started to read about what she should be expecting during the first trimester.

Nausea, swollen and growing breasts and constantly hungry for chocolate was driving Bella crazy and she wanted to tell someone about it, somebody who knew what to expect, but most of all, Bella was scared of being alone. Children had never been on her mind, but now that she was in fact carrying forth a living being, Bella was terrified that something might happen to her that would harm the baby or that something would happen to the baby, leaving her unscratched.

"Good morning," Bella mumbled a Saturday morning as she entered the kitchen. It was only Carlisle, Charlie and Esme in the kitchen and it was only Esme who greeted her back, though they didn't look up to meet her eyes.

In the next ten minutes, the kitchen was filled and the table was covered in everything from greasy bacon to sweet fruit. The talk went lightly around the table, laughter bouncing off the walls as everyone filled up with coffee, all but Bella who had to stay to milk.

"Edward, Emmett, Carlisle and I have agreed that we need to send out someone to keep an eye on Alec and we've decided on you," Charlie suddenly said as he filled up another cup of coffee. "And Jasper, I want you to update every camera in this house, my old one, the apartment in Seattle and the apartment in New York."

"Charlie," Esme sighed, putting down her fork and knife, "I know you've only lived her for a month now, but when we have meals together, especially breakfast, I would prefer if you keep the work talk to a minimum."

"I am so sorry, Esme, it would not repeat itself," Charlie promised her with a smile.

After breakfast, everyone scattered around but Bella lingered and asked Esme if she needed any help. When she answered, she didn't even look at Bella.

"No need, I can do it myself, just go about your day."

Being rejected was something Bella had always hated, not because she wanted to be in the middle of everything, but because she wanted to be acknowledged. Being rejected by your own father and new family was hard and Bella was sure that the Cullens hated her for lying and pretending to be someone she wasn't.

What she couldn't understand was why Charlie suddenly turned his back on her and refused to talk with her. When she found out that she was pregnant, he was over joyed. He had wrapped her into a tight hug for then to push her away, afraid that it might be too much for the baby. Now she and the baby didn't exist anymore.

~O~O~O

"I'm awake!" Bella shot up in bed, her book falling to the floor; she had fallen asleep while reading about breastfeeding.

Blinking and rubbing her eyes, she looked outside and wondered how long she had been asleep; it was dark outside, the moon filtering through her window and making the tree tops eerier in the light

Getting out of the bed, she stretched, her joints popping loudly as she crossed the room to her closet to find something to change into before heading down for dinner; she had no idea what time it was as her alarm clock had stopped working and her phone was somewhere downstairs.

As she walked down the stairs down to the living room, she could hear voices coming from the dining room, growing louder and louder and not only because she was getting closer to them; someone was having an argument.

"How could it slip past you, Jasper?!" Charlie roared and Bella could imagine how he would push the chair away from the table and lean his hands on the table, wide eyes directed to the person he was yelling at.

"It didn't slip past me! I found out and I gave the information to you as soon as I knew!" Jasper argued back and Bella could hear both Alice and Esme trying to calm him down.

"But yet there's little we can do because he's ten steps ahead of us!"

"Yes, he's ahead of us but not ten steps; only one because as soon as I found out I mapped out all of his movements and you can learn a lot about where they are going by watching where they've been."

"So, what do we do?" Esme's voice was soft and Bella could hear that she was worried about something, and Bella wondered what could it could be and why no one had bothered to tell her that the dinner was ready.

"What's going on?" Bella asked as she entered the dining room and every one turned to look at her, not expecting to see her there.

"Oh, nothing to worry about, dear," Esme smiled, not looking up at her but at everyone else around the table.

"I heard Charlie yell, so something is up and I would like to know what it is," Bella said as she took her seat next to Edward.

"As I said-"

"Oh shut up Esme," Bella snapped and everyone looked up at her with wide eyes, but she ignored them. "Charlie and I've been here for two months now and he's a part of the family, but what about me? Am I a part of the family? No. Everyone's pretending I'm not here, like I'm just dust that needs to be removed and to top it all off, I'm sure Edward hates me for something that's his fault as well as mine and my own father doesn't want to know off me. I'm moving out tomorrow so you don't have to worry about avoiding me anymore." Bella pushed her chair away from the table, her appetite gone. She didn't linger to hear them say anything.

She was in the middle of the living room when her name was called out and she turned to see Charlie standing in the door. Somewhere in her mind, a small hope that he would open his arms to her and apologize appeared, but it was only a hope and wouldn't come true.

"You can't leave, Bella; Alec is after revenge for how you tricked him and no one is leaving the house until we know we can take him."

"Why do you care if I leave the house or not?"

"You are a part of this family and we take care of our family," Carlisle said, coming up behind Charlie.

"Oh, so now I'm family, after I've just said that I'm moving out. Do you know how hard it is to live in the same house as eight people that are more than happy to ignore and avoid you? And it's hell to know that it's all a punishment for how I four months ago stumbled onto your lawn and pretended to be a victim of Alec's brutal love, but did it ever occur to you that the brain behind it all wasn't me?" the silence that spread across the two rooms was an answer enough for Bella.

"We are well aware that it was Charlie who planned it all and we understand why he did it and we understand why you were the one to infiltrate us and we don't blame any one of you for it."

"Bullshit," Bella murmured, wandering up to her room again.

Hours later, sleep hadn't found her and when even her best book couldn't entertain her, Bella gave up. She was well aware that she had snapped, lost it completely in front of everyone hours before, but she didn't feel that much better. Well, they now knew how she felt and she had pointed out that being ignored and avoided kind of sucked, hurt her feelings and made her feel like something that was left after a bad meal and no one wanted.

After taking a shower and getting into her pajamas, Bella walked down to the kitchen to make herself some food. The whole house was quiet and dark, the only light coming from the moon high on the sky, its glow coming through the many windows and making shadows on the walls. She expected everyone to be in their rooms and sound asleep so when she entered the kitchen, she didn't expect to see anyone.

At first, she didn't notice that anyone was sitting at the kitchen table, not until she had found her cereal and was about to pour it into a bowl.

"Oh freaking God!" she all but screamed as she saw someone move.

"You have a thing for screaming, don't you?" someone said sarcastically and it belonged to no other but Edward.

"I can scream as much as I want at you because I'm not going to stay here for long," Bella told him as she sat down at the table and started to eat.

"You heard what Charlie said; you can't leave the house, no one can."

"I can leave if I want to."

"Bella, you can't, none of us can."

""And why not? I know Alec is out there, but I'm not going to fly around telling everyone where I'm going to stay."

"Listen Bella, if Alec finds you, he will do anything to get back at your for tricking the information out of him; he hates you and want to see you suffer one way or the other. We will lock you a padded, windowless room if we have to." Edward stood up and left before Bella could say anything.

They kept their words and Bella didn't leave the house for weeks.

Not until she had enough couldn't take it anymore. She wasn't even allowed outside in the garden in case Alec was laying there and waiting for someone to come out. Of course the men could come and go as they wanted but only because they had bulletproof cars and knew how to handle a gun.

It was a Friday night that Bella decided being locked inside for almost three weeks was enough. While everyone was eating dinner and talking merrily with each other, Bella sneaked down to the garage and took the Mercedes, one of the many bulletproof cars.

As she drove away from the house, Bella knew that they must have seen or heard her leaving, but she didn't care; she needed to get out the house before she hit the wall, hard. But she enjoyed it, though she didn't dare to roll down the windows and let the fresh, crisp September air into the car.

When she arrived at the store without being hit by a car, shot at her followed by any one, Bella wanted to laugh; there was no sign of Alec anywhere. Confidently, she entered the store, dressed in her favorite sweatpants and a tight fitting long sleeved t-shirt under a flannel shirt. Tonight she was on a mission and it was to find ice cream. There was no ice cream in the house and no matter how much Bella wanted something full of sugar, there was nothing.

Walking slowly but determined towards where the ice cream was, Bella took in the feeling of freedoms he had suddenly taken back; she was not going to let go of it again unless her life was really in danger.

"Oh, double chocolate chip and mint, strawberry cheesecake and raspberry-banana," Bella smiled seeing her favorites and without thinking, she grabbed all three of them and went to the checkout.

"Have a good night," the awkward teenage boy behind the cashier called after her as Bella left and she gave him a smile and a wave as she left.

Locating the Mercedes, Bella saw a dark shadow leaning against the car and she knew who it was. Quickly thinking of anything that would make him forget his own agenda, Bella dropped the bag of ice cream and started to run towards him.

"Alec!" she cried and she watched him tense, pushing himself away from the car, his left hand at the back of his jeans. "Please say that you have come for me, please," she begged as she cried harder, tears forming in her eyes.

"Come for you?" Alec questioned, pushing Bella away from him after she had flung herself into his arm.

"You haven't," Bella whimpered, pulling away from him and burying her face in her hands as she sank to the ground, doing everything in her power to make a scene for any one that might pass by them.

"Why would I want to come for you?" he asked, looking like a little confused child, not quite sure what to do.

"I thought you loved me, like I loved you, but you don't!" she sobbed. "You said you loved me and I believed you. Oh, it hurts!" she screamed out, clutching her heart as he kneeled down beside her.

"You fooled me!" he said sternly, gripping her shoulders but he loosened his grip right away and Bella knew that she was getting to him; his eyes showed the same emotions she had seen in his eyes before when he told her that he loved her with all his heart.

"I know and it was the plan but I never thought that I would fall in love. I wanted to make Charlie so proud of me, so left but I regret it at once. When I tried to leave and come back to you, beg you for forgiveness, Charlie locked me inside the house. Tonight is the first time I've been out the big house for six months and it was only because I snuck out, taking one of their cars." Bella clung to him as if her life depended on it. "Please forgive me," she whispered into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Come home with me, to LA. Let's forget all about your father and our past; let's just be together, you and I," his eyes was shining with hope and love and even though Bella hated every member of the Volturi family, including Alec, she hoped that he one day might find a girl that would look at him the same way, if he lived long enough for it to happen.

"Would you do that, for me?" Bella asked, looking at him with wide eyes.

"For you, anything."

"I have to go back, I have to have my things," Bella muttered, pretending to be talking to herself.

"Babe, if we go back, Charlie will kill me and he will lock you away again, or even kill you as well."

"Alec, he won't, I promise; I have important information he need, information I never told him, so if he kill me he will be lost," Bella smiled. "And they won't hurt you as long as you don't hurt them, okay?"

"I promise, no killing tonight."

"Thank you," Bella smiled, giving him a soft kiss on the lips.

They took the Mercedes and in silence, holding hands all the way, they drove back to the house. As they got closer, Bella could feel him squeezing her hand tighter and tighter; the great Alec Volturi was scared. Or hungry for some killing, but Bella knew he wouldn't be so stupid to try anything with a house full of trained men and women.

"You don't have to come inside with me if you don't want to," Bella said as she opened the door.

"I'm not taking any chances; they might lock you up before my eyes and there will be nothing I can do tonight."

"Okay, if you are sure," together they walked to the front door, holding hands.

Everyone was sitting in the living room, phones out, the room filled with curses and profanities but it all died down as soon as they saw Bella and Alec standing at the door together. Before anyone could draw their weapon, Bella spoke loud and clearly.

"I have only come to get my things. If you shoot him, I will not hesitate to kill you all," going unnoticed by Alec, Bella winked, hoping that they would get the hint.

"Babe, I don't think this was a good idea."

"Alec, they can't hurt us, remember?" Bella assured him, kissing him passionately.

Without any kind of warning, Bella brought her knee up into his junk and Alec fell to his knees, cupping himself. With an open shot, Bella punched him hard in the face, forcing him onto his back and he stayed there with Bella's Chuck clad foot pressing slightly against his throat.

"I bet this is the first time you've been taken down by a pregnant woman," Bella smirked, pushing her shirt away to make sure that he could see her growing belly. She was about to throw more at him when she suddenly stiffened and without thinking, she let go of her hold of him and walked away.

She didn't see Alec pull out his gun, taking an aim at her. Neither did she see Charlie, Emmett, Edward and Jasper pull out theirs just as fast, aiming at Alec, shouting at him to drop his as they all shouted at Bella, demanding to know why she walked away. No one understood why, no one but Carlisle, who followed Bella into the dining room.

"I think something is wrong," she whispered, her eyes darting around the room.

"What are you feeling?" Carlisle asked, making her focus on him and not even caring that Carlisle was standing right in front of her, Bella pushed her hand into her pants and felt her tight. When she pulled it out, they both stared at Bella's shaking hand and the blood on her fingers.

With his arms protectively around Bella, Carlisle guided her through the living room towards the garage, shouting out commands on his way.

"Edward, you are coming with me; Emmett and Jasper lock him up tightly and put Sam and Paul to guard him. Then you all drive together to the hospital."

"What's going on?" Edward demanded to know as he followed his father and Bella watched Carlisle throw the keys at him.

"Drive, you're faster than me," Carlisle said as he helped Bella into the back of his Mercedes S600 Guard. They all buckled up and Bella was glad that he held her hand as they drove.

Every now and then, Edward would glance in the mirror, his eyes meeting Bella's and for the first time she had met him, he didn't look at her as if she was something he had stepped in. she couldn't explain the look in his eyes but it wasn't hater towards her.

In front of the hospital, Carlisle handed Edward a card after helping Bella out of the car.

"Take this and park in the closed, then call Charlie and tell them to do the same; Esme has a card. I will check in Bella." Edward drove off and disappeared around a corner. "How are you feeling?" Carlisle asked as they walked together to the entrance.

"I don't know," Bella answered honestly, still shaking ever so slightly.

"Everything will be fine," he assured her, squeezing her shoulders as they reached the front desk. "I need a wheelchair, a private room and call Dr. Loe and tell her to meet us there; I know she's on call tonight," the nurse didn't even look up at Carlisle but did everything he had asked for and in matter of minutes, Bella was wheeled towards a private room in the private wing of the hospital. A tall, red haired woman was waiting outside the door and immediately started talking with Carlisle; Bella zooned them out as a nurse started to help her out of her clothes and into a hospital gown, the spit in front.

"How you felt any kind of pain?" Dr. Loe asked Bella when she was on the bed.

"No, I just had this feeling that something was happening," Bella informed Loe as she pulled on a pair of gloves and uncovered Bella's belly.

"Does is hurt when I push here?" the doctor asked, pushing slightly on her abdomen, but Bella couldn't feel anything. "Okay, we will need a vaginal examination. Do you want them to leave?" Bella looked over at Carlisle, noticing that Edward was now at his side; she hadn't heard him come in.

"I don't care," Bella said and it was all Dr. Loe needed before ordering her to take her panties off and put her feet up in the stirrups.

Bella wasn't sure what to concentrate on as the doctor did her thing down there. Looking at Carlisle and Edward was out of the question because they both were staring up at the ceiling, looking extremely uncomfortable.

"I am sorry, but I believe you've had a miscarriage, Bella, but still want to take an ultrasound to make sure," Bella only nodded as she tried to keep her tears at bay. A tear trickled down her left cheek, out of sight for anyone, as Dr. Loe squirted some jelly on her belly and on the stick before starting to move it around.

Bella closed her eyes and leaned her head back, not wanting to see her baby, lifeless, on the screen, but when a very clear heartbeat came, her eyes snapped open and she almost knocked over Dr. Loe as sat up to see the screen.

"That's a very strong heartbeat," Dr. Loe smiled, turning off the machine.

"It sure was," Carlisle smiled as well.

"I'm going to get a nurse clean you up and then I want to check you thoroughly, but it looks good."

"So I can go home tonight?"

"I want you over the night; bleedings in the middle of the pregnancy is normal but for older woman. Your family can see you when I'm finished."

"I know you all want to give me a piece of your mind for what happened tonight, but it can wait until tomorrow. Right now, I want to get somewhat clean, let Dr. Loe do her job and sleep since I can't go home. Tomorrow, you can send a car, but for now, you can all just go home," Bella told Carlisle and Edward when Dr. Loe had left the room.

Without saying anything, they left Bella alone, but she could hear Charlie loud and clear through the door.

"She placed us all in danger tonight! She has to stand for what she did and explain herself to us!"

"Charlie!" Bella could hear Esme say sternly. "If you want your daughter to pay for risking all our lives, she already has; to hear that the baby you're still carrying inside you is dead is hard to hear and it makes you feel like you've failed in taking care of your baby's health before it's even born. Bella is not going to pay, explain herself, yes, but not pay!"

Once again Bella wondered what her father suddenly had against her.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter nine

_**Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe.**_

_**Voltaire**_

_Once again Bella wondered what her father suddenly had against her._

"Shall I call for a taxi for you?" the nurse at the front desk asked Bella as she signed her papers.

"That won't be necessary," Bella smiled, "Someone is coming for me." Bella sat down in one of the red plastic chairs and waited for someone to come and pick her up. As soon as Dr. Loe had given her a time where she could leave, a nurse had called Carlisle and given the information to him.

And she waited.

And waited some more.

Bella's leg was tapping fast on the shining linoleum floor, her eyes keeping down to the white clock hanging on the pale green wall behind the front desk. The anger that had been building up inside her was about to burst out and hit the kid that kept banging his hands against the small table in front of her just when one big guy dressed in all black walked through the door. Before he saw her, Bella got up and walked past, letting him know that she knew he was there for her.

The drive how was fast and over quickly, much to Bella's delight and it didn't surprise her that everyone was waiting for her, ready to ambush her as soon as she walked through the door. She wanted nothing more than to get to her room, shower and change before letting her anger out on something.

"We need to talk, Bella," it wasn't Carlisle or Charlie who was in charge this time, but Esme and Bella found it hard to tell them all to fuck off when her eyes met Esme's kind and loving caramel ones.

"Okay," was all she said, sitting down in a chair far away from everyone but Esme wasn't having it and sat down on the armrest, wrapping her arm around her.

"We all want to apologize for the way we have treated you and we hope that you can accept it."

Bella looked around the room at everyone and she thought about accepting their apology as she met the eyes of Jasper, Emmett and Rose but as she looked at the others, she couldn't.

"I can't," she pushed herself out of the chair, almost knocking over Esme as she did but she didn't linger to see if she was okay.

As she entered her room, she saw a box standing on her bed and as she looked at the writing, she knew who it was from.

"Mom," Bella whispered with a smile, dropping her back as she sat on the bed, tearing off the tape and opening the box.

She had expected her mother to send her some of her old baby clothes, maybe a toy and the blanket she had been wrapped in when Renée had brought her home from the hospital. What was inside was not what she had expected.

The box was filled with some of the books she hadn't gotten with her the first time, the jewelry box Phil had helped her build for her mother but her mother had given back to her when Bella kept sneaking it into her room because she wanted it to. There were pictures she had taken of her mother and Phil, pictures of her and Phil laughing, throwing snowballs at each other when they had gone to Aspen one Christmas and a picture of her and Phil building a sandcastle just to crash it together as soon as it was done. Every single memory she had of Phil and her mom from when she was little was pushed into the box. Among them all was a letter, Renée's soft handwriting on the front of the envelop.

Taking a deep breath, Bella ripped it open and read the letter.

_Bella,_

_I'm sending you the rest of your things; they are just taking up too much room at the moment and besides, Lily really want your room because yours bigger than hers and she wants a bunk bed so she can have more sleepovers._

_Renée_

There was no _Dear_ or _Love mom_, nothing that indicated that Renée even cared about her, loved her like a mother usually did. Bella didn't know if she wanted to cry or scream out in fury, only that she had to work out some of the aggression that was slowly building up in her body.

Ripping her clothes off, she changed into her running gear and marched down to the gym. Dr. Loe had told her that she needed to take it easy for the next couple of weeks and then come and see her to make sure that everything was coming by perfectly before throwing herself back into the exercising she had put on herself before the small trip to the hospital. Bella didn't listen and stepped on to the treadmill, starting slowly but quickly pushing herself to the limit, holding a steady pace for three miles.

Sweat was pouring down her face, her legs only getting weaker and weaker as she ran, her whole body weighed down by the tiny human being inside her belly, but Bella didn't slow down; too much frustration was flowing through her body.

When her right leg buckled, three miles only steps ahead of her, Bella steadied herself against the sides of the treadmill and she didn't stop until she could see on the panel in front of her that her goal was reached.

Her body was like jelly, her legs felt as if they were about to fall apartment, but she hadn't felt that good in days. To Bella, running was therapy, as it always had been, an whenever she stepped onto a treadmill and found a distant road, her mind cleared and all she could see was what was in front of her, nothing more.

Up in her room, another surprise was waiting for her, but this time it wasn't something she could hide in the back of the closet and find some day when she had the guts to deal with it. This surprise was very much alive and tears were gathered in the crooks of her eyes as they met Bella's.

"I am so sorry, Bella," Esme said, giving her look full of pity. In her hands was the short note from Renée and Bella knew that Esme had read it.

"There's nothing to be sorry about; my mother have decided that I no longer have a place in her life and my dad don't want to know of me because I slept with someone and ended up pregnant, just like a normal human being," Bella said dryly.

"Charlie loves you, Bella, but I think it all took him by surprise, especially when you've only been in his life for three years; he wanted more time with you before you started your own life."

"You can think whatever you want, Esme, but unless this baby magically disappears and he suddenly forgets that Edward and I had sex, I don't think Charlie will ever be able to forgive me. Neither will the rest of your family, Esme."

"It's your family as well, Bella. Through thick and thin, we will have each other's backs because that's what family's does for each other. They might still be a little mad for the whole lying but I know they will come around; leave it to me." Esme rose from the bed, but lingered at the door, "Dinner will be at five."

After a well needed shower, Bella threw on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt before collapsing on the bed, still an hour and a half before dinner would be ready. Like the first time she slept in one of the beds in the house, it melted around Bella, the mattress like a cloud and the covers like feathers, fallen from heaven to keep her warm. The bed wrapped itself around her like a motherly embrace, protecting and caring. A tear ran down her cheek as she fell asleep.

~O~O~O

Bella woke up with a startle, very aware that it was past five and that she was late for the dinner. Dragging her tired boy out of the bed, she made her way down to the dining room but as she reached it, she slowed down to listen as Esme's voice carried through the door.

"-has to stop! You have all treated her like she's something under your shoe, and I'm not saying that I have treated her any better, but she is family and it is about high time that we all treated her like family. And before any of you even think about talking, hear this; Charlie, Bella is your daughter. She is beautiful, she is smart, she is strong, but most of all, she is alone right now and you are shutting her out because she did something that comes natural for humans; she had sex Charlie, time to get over it!" Bella almost wanted to laugh as she listened to Esme, but she held it back and listened. "And girls, you must have seen that she needed someone to talk you; I know you're not blind. And Edward, buckle up and be a man; it takes two to dance the tango and it defiantly takes two make a girl pregnant. If you think that she tricked you into getting her pregnant, take a look at her; does she look happy? If she wanted to force you into a marriage, can't see why. From the way you have been behaving the last months, I can't see why anyone would want to marry you." The silence that followed Esme's speech was deafening and Bella was about to let her pretense be known when someone cleared their throat.

"Esme is right; Bella is family and she's been treated like an outcast since the moment she set foot in this house the second time. I hope that everyone can see what they have done wrong and-"

"Oh hush Carlisle, you haven't been a saint you either. All we can hope for is that Bella is willing to accept our apologizes with time. Now, Bella, why don't you join us before dinner gets cold?" as Bella rounded the corner, stepping into view, she wanted to hide; never had she felt more vulnerable in her life.

"Please join us, kiddo," Charlie rose from his chair and pulled out the one next to him, sorrow, regret and hope in his eyes.

Tear sprang to Bella's eyes, her lower lip shivering as she turned away and walked out.

"Bella," Charlie reached out and took hold of her arm, the touch making Bella to turn around and cry, burying her face in her father's shoulder.

The dinner was suddenly forgotten and as soon Charlie let go of Bella, his voice gruff, four pairs of arms wrapped themselves around and four voices kept repeating that they were sorry. When she could finally breathe, Esme and Carlisle hugged her as well. All the sudden, Bella felt welcomed, loved and a part of the family, though Edward didn't speak with her. She kept looking back at him where he was sitting at the table, eating and staring at her, but it wasn't with hate or any other emotion she had experienced before; it was in wonder.

As they all gathered around the table again for dinner, Bella held back and didn't talk much, only when spoken to, as she took in the feeling of being a family again. But then her mind wandered over to the box sitting on her bed up in the bedroom and the note that had come with her things. As a black stormy cloud rolling in over the horizon, Bella's mood changed and unnoticed by the people around her, she sunk back in her chair and focused on the food on the plate in front of her.

"Bella, Edward, we would like to speak with you both before you go back to your rooms," Carlisle said as dinner was over and everyone rose from their seats. Bella who was helping Esme clear the table, placed the stack of plates back on the table and followed Carlisle and Charlie up their new office.

As they entered the office, no one said anything but Bella joined Edward on the couch that was placed against the wall opposite from Carlisle and Charlie's desks.

"Charlie and I have been talking about your situation several times during the last months and even though we have been trying to keep it hushed down, our investors have learned about the pregnancy and the Russians is thinking about pulling out unless the child is legal."

"Legal?" Bella questioned, not sure if she was following where Carlisle were going.

"The baby will not be accepted as a part of our family when it is born, and neither will you unless you are married before the due date," Charlie explained.

"So I will have to marry or I will no longer be a part of this family? Wow, five minutes and I'm out again," Bella muttered mostly to herself.

"Are a part of this family, even though we all have acted as asshole, but to the Russians, you will not be. They will not consider you as a Swan or a Cullen and if they ever have to come to our rescue, they will leave you and the baby behind, unless you are married; an illegitimate child is a sin to the Russians."

"And who am I so lucky to become married to?"

"Well, we have been talking about this for some time," Carlisle started, looking over at Charlie uncertainly.

"And we know that you might not like it, but we have decided that it might be better if the two of you got married before the baby will be born. That way, we will have no problems with the Russians and you will have protection from them if it's ever needed."

"I'm not marrying her!" Edward protested, shooting to his feet.

"Don't worry, I have no desire marrying you either," Bella mumbled as she did her best to get to her feet. On her feet, she didn't give them another glance as she walked out. She had hoped to storm out but being pregnant in the fifth months was starting to make it harder for Bella to move as swiftly as she used to.

With Alec locked away somewhere in the house, Bella walked out to the garden and sat down under a tree, the air grown cold form the change of month and season. She didn't care much of the cold though, the chillness to her skin helped her clear her head as her mind went over and over again the words she had hear, but not quite able to comprehend them.

"Can I join you?" Bella looked up to see Jasper looming over her, a kind smile on his lips.

"Sure," she said, scooting over so he could lean against the tree as well.

"I guess, they told you about the genius idea, right?"

"You knew about?"

"Yeah, I overheard them talking about it here the other day and they told me to keep quiet about it. Now, I'm going to say something that probably put your panties in a twist-"

"Too late," Bella murmured, squirming and making Jasper laugh.

"Anyway, I want you to know that I told them that just because that crazy Russian guy, Zarcofsky, doesn't approve of children outside of marriage, don't mean that they can force the two of you to get married. They understand it but they still did it, I know, but I think it will be the best for the both of you."

"Maybe, but it doesn't seem that anyone have considered the fact that Edward and I doesn't like each other much, or not at all," Bella pointed out, hoping that reason would be seen. She didn't know though, that it wasn't the people around her that needed to see reason.

"I have a feeling that no one will be able to make you and Edward do as you are told," Jasper laughed as he got to his feet. "But even though you and Edward hate each other so much, there's a sexual attraction between the two of you that you can't deny, otherwise, none of this would have happened."

Jaspers words made Bella's mind churn the rest of the night and as she lying in the bed later, she was unable to sleep.

She knew what she had to do but she couldn't find the courage to get out of bed and do it. The longer she stared up at the ceiling and the shadows the low moon was casting upon it, the more the ticking of her clock was teasing her and reminding her that she didn't have all the time in the world.

Throwing the covers away, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and took a deep breath before pushing herself up, her mind telling her that there was no turning back. Out in the hall she crossed it with determination and knocked twice on the door, waiting impatiently, knowing fully well that it was past midnight and most of the house was sleeping soundly in their beds.

As the door opened, she left no room for questions and jumped straight in.

"I think we should do it, get married, even though it's crazy and we will probably want to kill each other in the end anyway, but I can't bear the thought of something might happening to our kid because we were stupid enough to refuse."

"Okay, I will tell Carlisle and Charlie in the morning," Edward said, closing the door.

**AN: Chapter ten is almost finished and I do hope that you all will enjoy my story. Now, I will not post the tenth chapter as soon as it is finished, but I will wait until I have at least five reviews or three more followers of my story. That will be all.**

_**DevilsWriter**_


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter ten

_**When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.**_

_**Jimi Hendrix**_

"_Okay, I will tell Carlisle and Charlie in the morning," Edward said, closing the door._

Planning a wedding takes months, for some even a year and every little detail is just as important as the other. It is not enough to just have a perfect man and the perfect dress, but the place where the ceremony will be hold have to be perfect, so must the place where the reception will be held as well. Then there is the flowers, color theme, the fabrics, lightings for the ceremony, the reception, the lights for the first dance as man and wife and what car shall the bride arrive in for the ceremony? What kind of car shall the happy couple leave in when the time has come for their honeymoon?

And then there's the seating chart. Where do you put your uncle that will mostly defiantly get drunk? How do you separate your feuding parents without hurting either ones feelings? Do you have many smaller tables scattered around like a circle around the dancing floor, or a long table in the formation of a horseshoe?

And what about the food? Fish? Chicken? Or maybe a juicy steak? Maybe a buffet is better. It is important to keep in mind that someone might be allergic to something. The drinks are easy though; open bar is the answer to most problems that can ruin in the wedding.

Bella knew how to plan a normal wedding, not that she had ever done it, but she had seen enough movies and enough TV to know what to do. Planning a wedding in less than three weeks was interlay new to her and it was freaking her out a little, even though it was Esme who was doing most of the job, gladly helping Bella as she knew fully well the neither her or Edward really wanted the wedding to find place.

Esme was an angle sent from heaven to save Bella, at least in Bella's eyes. To make it as easy for Bella as possible, Esme had made a list of food that could be served and made Bella choose out from them. The same had been done with the seating arrangements, the color schemes and the flowers. The only Bella really had to do was to find the dress, try it on and be as ready as possible when the day arrived.

In only nineteen days, the room that had been used as a ballroom was transformed into a magical room in white and blue, orange flowers here and there and a warm hue from all the candles on the walls and on the tables lying over the room as a blanket.

The small church in Forks was also transformed and was unrecognizable.

The day had arrived and Bella was starting to have second thoughts and she found herself staring out on the garden below her, on the falling leaves and up on the clear, crisp October sky, clear blue and cold. Her thoughts were far away as she absentmindedly drew a pattern on her belly. She had hoped that the little person growing inside her would have kicked her, so had Carlisle who was starting to get worried, even though every time he listened to the heartbeat, it was a strong as it had been in the hospital the month before.

"Earth to Bella," shaking her head, Bella focused on the smiling face of Rose in front of her.

"Sorry," she murmured, blushing as she realized that she had once again traveled far away from them

"It's okay," Rose laughed, laying a soft peach blush on Bella's cheeks, "It is your wedding day and even though it might not be ideal, you are still allowed to daydream." Rose stepped away and looked at her work, making sure that she was happy with it before telling Bella that she could finally look at herself in the mirror.

"Oh Rose, thank you," was all Bella managed to say as she stared at herself in the mirror. She hadn't been able to imagine herself on her wedding day but what Rose had managed to do with her makeup was more than she could ever be able to imagine in her life. Gone were the dark rings under her eyes, the evidence that she was starting to struggle to sleep at night. Gone was the big red blemish on her left cheek and in its place was an even colored cheek. Her natural color hadn't been covered by a dark foundation, but her skin was covered with a light layer of BB Cream, her blemishes covered with a corrector and her cheeks brushed with peach; she looked more awake than she felt and definitely more beautiful than she had felt in months.

"You look beautiful," Bella turned away from the mirror to see Alice entering her room, white garment bag in her arms; her dress.

"Thank you," Bella blushed.

Alice and Rose helped Bella into her dress. It was soft, pearl white and strapless. Over her bosom it was tight, but over her belly the satin and silk flowed, the fabrics long enough to pool slightly around her feet. There was a trail and the edges of the dress was embroidered with a champagne color thread an down her back were a hundred tiny champagne colored buttons, from top to bottom. The finishing touch was a thin champagne colored ribbon underneath her bosom with a bow hanging on her right side.

At last, it was her hair. Alice walked around her a few time, lifting her hair into different styles before smiling brightly and pouring a small pile of hairpins on the table in front of Bella. Slowly, she started to pin Bella's beautiful brown hair into a simple, classy bun at the nap of her neck as Rose braided a small piece of hair on her right side. When Alice was finished pinning the hair, she placed the braid just above Bella's ear, making sure that it wouldn't move, and pinned the rest to the bun with sapphire colored pins.

"There, now you can get married," Alice smiled and Bella had to admit that she looked beautiful and she was glad that she did, no matter how much she doubted that the marriage wouldn't be able to last.

Jacob, son of Billy, Charlie's most trusted man and friend, drove Bella to the church along with Alice, Esme and Rose, all three of them dressed in beautiful midnight blue dresses in styles suitable for them.

The closer to church they got, Bella realized that she was nervous. Her feet was toasty warm so she knew that it had nothing to do with cold feet, but she was nervous because she was afraid that no one would think she was beautiful, especially Edward. The thought of him made her stomach flutter, the thought of him in their bed on their wedding night.

She was nervous about sex! Sex with the same man she had had sex with several times months before, the same man who she had fought against and kicked his ass. Just the thought was absurd but nonetheless, it was still there.

"We're here!" Alice sing-songed as they stopped and Jasper, who was waiting for them, opened the door for them.

"Hello, ladies," he smiled charmingly at each and one of them as he helped them out, being especially careful with Bella's dress as he helped her out of the car, much to Alice's delight. It earned him a kiss and a swat on the ass as they walked up to the church.

"All the guests have arrived; it's only you we are waiting for," Jasper said as they reached the doors.

"Where is Charlie?" Esme asked as Jasper opened the doors for them. "I thought he was supposed to walk Bella down the aisle."

"Charlie isn't comfortable walking down the aisle with all the Russians in the room; apparently he pissed some of them off once."

"He's not comfortable?" Bella scoffed as she gripped her bouquet peonies, their color white but the edges a dusky red shade. "If he's uncomfortable, then what am I? I'm the one who has to walk down the aisle, people I've never seen in my life on both sides, and most of them will be whispering because I'm pregnant and it's not even possible to ignore it."

"What's impossible to ignore?" they all turned to see Charlie straightening his tie.

"So you are going to walk Bella down the aisle?" Esme asked, hope in her eyes.

"Of course I am; she my only daughter and I would be a fool not to."

"But Jasper said that you didn't want to because of the Russians," Alice quipped in.

"Just because I'm not comfortable doing it doesn't mean I won't."

"Okay, enough about that; Charlie will walk Bella and we will have to find our seats now or we won't get anywhere today," Esme kissed Bella on the cheeks before they all went to find their seats.

Then the music started.

"You were lying, weren't you?" Bella asked as they waited for their cue. "You're uncomfortable about doing this and probably a little scared that one of the Russians will pull out a knife or maybe a SIG, Magnum or Beretta and shoot you, right?"

"Terrified," Charlie sighed dramatically. "If anyone of them moves, I'm out of here."

"It's okay if you do because you're here right now," she kissed Charlie on the cheek before they started on their way down to Edward, who was standing perfectly straight, his face set in a unreadable mask.

The doubt and the nervousness came crashing down on Bella again as Edward's hand touched hers in front of the priest, helping her up the two steps.

The priest started to speak but Bella was unable to focus on anything he was saying, but somehow, she knew when it was her turn and she was glad for that, or else she would have been making a fool of herself in her own wedding.

All she had to say was two small words so the ceremony could be finished.

"I d-" Bella stiffened, a weird sensation in her stomach.

"Finish you sentence," Edward muttered under his breath, giving her a dark look but she ignored it as she rubbed the top of her belly. Worried written all over his face, Carlisle stepped up to Bella and asked if she was okay, if anything was wrong with either her or the baby, but all she could do was to smile.

"The baby," she smiled through tears, "It's kicking," she stared down on her belly in awe as she felt another kick. "Feel it," she urged Edward, but he didn't move.

"I am sorry to interrupt this joyous moment, but shall we continue the ceremony so we all can celebrate the joy of life itself?" the priest asked and Bella sent Edward a dirty look before turning away from him.

She managed to say 'I do' and she found the kiss that sealed the marriage oddly pleasurable. When Edward broke it off, she wanted to grip his head and pull him back in but she managed to hold herself as they walked back down the aisle together, everyone clapping as they did.

The rest of the day was a blur to Bella. She couldn't remember the drive from the church and back to the house, and neither could she remember walking in with Edward arm in arm, applauded by the guests. She had no recollections of their first dance together as husband and wife, their first meal together.

However, she did have recollections of cutting the cake.

With a piece of red velvet on his plate, Edward smirked and looked at Bella; he wanted to smash the cake in her face.

"It's okay if you want to smash the cake in my face, and you can because I don't mind, but if you get any cake on the dress, in my hair or on the veil, not only will you end up with a pregnant woman sitting on you until your face turns blue, but you will also have to deal with Alice and Rose. I can assure you that they will not be happy if they find as much as a crumb on the dress." The smirk on Edward's face disappeared and he looked thoughtful for a minute before it came back.

"None of that sounds very tempting, so don't worry, no cake on the dress or hair or your veil," he assured her as he picked up a small piece of the cake and slowly reached out to place it in Bella's open mouth.

She was prepared though, knowing fully well that she had only added fuel to his thought of messing with her. As he "missed" her mouth and smeared cake on her cheek, Bella picked up a small piece herself and without a warning, she smashed it in his forehead and down to his cheek and even though he didn't look so pleased with it, the guests roared with laughter, Emmett the loudest for sure.

"Bella, do you want us to help you out of the dress?" Alice asked as the guests went back to the bar or the dance floor.

"No, I think I can manage, besides, I have someone to order around now," Bella said loud enough for Edward to hear, who stuck out his tongue at her. "Not very mature though," she added, making Alice laugh.

"Well, the Russians are leaving now and they were the most important guests today, so if you want, Edward and you can leave now and take the night; I bet you are tired."

"Oh thank God! All I've wanted today is to get out of this dress and stay in bed," Bella gushed, stepping out of her shoes, her aching feet screaming with joy.

"Edward, get over here!" Alice suddenly commanded loudly and Edward didn't linger around his brothers.

"What?" he demanded as he reached them.

"It's time for your wife and you to leave us, especially since Bella is only standing on her feet right now because people would be asking questions if she was lying down all the time."

"Tired?" Edward asked Bella.

"Dead is the more correct term I think," Bella corrected him as he took her arm and led her out of the ballroom and up the stairs.

"Esme have been fixing the guest wing for us to use," he said as he led her into a part of the hall Bella had never noticed before.

"That's nice," Bella yawned.

"And I bet it would be nicer to get into the bed, or what?"

"To get out of this dress first and then followed by a soft and cozy bed, preferably warm as well."

"I can assure that it is soft and full of pillows, but if it's warm or not, I don't know," Edward said as he opened the door into their room.

As all the rooms in the house, it was light with a big bed in the middle. The walls were silver grey and adorned with beautiful paintings of different landscapes.

Pulling the veil out of her hair, Bella started to pull all the pins that kept her hair in place. It took time and when she was finished and her hair was falling down her back, a small pile of pins were lying on the table in front of her.

"That felt good," she murmured, shaking her head and massaging her scalp.

"Do you need any help getting out of the dress?" Edward asked as he came out from the bathroom, his dress jacket gone and shirt buttoned upon; the sight of his bare chest sent a shiver down Bella spine and she knew that sleeping next to Edward could be hard.

"Please," she sighed, turning her back to him as she tried to push the image of him naked, hovering over her as he did all kinds of stuff to her.

With delicate fingers, he slowly started to undo the buttons of the dress, the soft skin of his fingers brushing against her back, cold against her heated skin and she shuddered as he undid the last button in the lower back.

"Cold?" he asked, stepping away from her.

"Nah, I'm just tired," Bella lied, holding the dress up to seem at least a little modest as she grabbed her t-shirt and a pair of fresh panties from where they were folded neatly on a chair.

In the bathroom, she took her time removing her makeup, brushing her teeth and cleaning herself up thoroughly before changing into the clean panties and her favorite t-shirt. The t-shirt had belonged to Phil, his favorite t-shirt once, but he had given it to Bella when she was twelve and for thirteen years it had been a part of Bella. It had once been bright blue and there were barely any remains of the Superman logo on the front. The fabric was worn and there were more holes in it than Swiss cheese, but it would stay with Bella until the day would come and it would simply fall apart in her hands.

When she opened the bathroom door, she hesitated, seeing Edward in bed, the covers pulled up to his hips, keeping from view if he were wearing boxers or not. He didn't seem to notice her as she turned off the light in the bathroom and walked over the bed, not until she sat down and pulled the covers away so she could slide underneath them as well.

She was aware that he was staring at her as she tried to make herself comfortable, pushing a pillow underneath her back and an extra one underneath her head.

"If I kick you in the nuts during the night or hit you in the face, it's not because I don't like you but because of this one," she said, patting her belly softly, the bump almost invisible under the thick covers.

"I think I will live," Edward laughed and turning off the TV before settling in on his side, facing away from Bella. "And yes, I am naked under the covers," he added before turning off the lights.

**AN:****I simply couldn't hold myself when the chapter was finished in less than a day. My inspiration have been lacking for the last weeks, even months, and now I'm finally back in my flow. **

** I do hope that you will enjoy where I am taking this story and let's be honest, you are all rooting for Bella and Edward no matter what they do to each other. Even if Edward, let's say, kills Charlie or Bella sleeps with Carlisle, you will still root for Bella and Edward because it's the real story and it comes naturally to most of us. ****Of course, there are those out there who might not like because they think Bella and Jacob is a better couple. Now, Jacob is barely a part of this story, mentioned once or maybe twice.**

**Please let me know what you think and I would really love everyone's opinion, good or bad, but please, keep the language clean.**

_**DevilsWriter**_


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter eleven

_**This is one of the miracles of love: It gives a power of seeing through its own enchantments and yet not being disenchanted.**_

_**C. S. Lewis**_

"_And yes, I am naked under the covers," he added before turning off the lights._

Bella couldn't possible sleep knowing that Edward, a sexy piece of ass, which she couldn't deny, was lying next to her stark naked as the day he was born. But surprisingly, sleep washed over her faster than she had imagine, her dreams filled with steamy hot sex, passionately kissing and climax after climax.

"Oh God," Bella moaned, waking up as her back arched off the bed. Her whole body was flushed and she was fully aware that she had woken up as she climaxed in the dream, in real life being on the brink of one.

Her breathing was heavy as she tried to calm herself down, trying to force her body to realize that there were no way that she could finish what her dream had started. Or could she? Glancing over at Edward, she made sure that he was asleep before she snaked a hand inside her panties and found the small bud that would be able to make her relax and go back to sleep. A stroke and flick would be enough.

"Do you want a hand with that?" Bella screamed as Edward's voice spoke into her ear, his breath hot on her skin.

Trying to withdraw her hand quickly, his hand wrapped around her wrist and she wondered what he was going to do. Mock her for what she was doing? Make sure that she would never forget it?

What he did was something she would never be able to imagine; underneath the covers he drew her hand closer to his body, carefully wrapping it around his hard member. She could hear how he had to catch his breath when she squeezed ever so slightly and her body hummed in response.

"Turn on your side," he order, giving her a small push to make her going.

Awkwardly settling on her side, her back to Edward, Bella slipped her panties off, shivering with anticipation as his hand stroked her thighs. He scooted closer to her and she could feel the heat of his body and the heat of his sex against her backside, through the t-shirt.

Lifting her right leg a little and with a swift movement, he was inside her, both of them moaning with pleasure.

With deliberate and slow thrusts, Edward moved against Bella, filling her deliciously to the brink, every thrust pushing Bella closer and closer to the climax she needed so badly. And to Bella's pleasure, one of Edward's hands came around and captured one of her sensitive nipples between two fingers and squeezed and the other hand came between her legs.

In matter of minutes, Bella was trying to say out loud, with words, that she was about to come but all the words left her, rendering her speechless.

Without a word, she came, shaking violently against Edward, triggering Edward's climax as she clenched around him. With a very manly grunt, he thrusting one last time and released inside.

They laid still for what seemed like an eternity, but not nearly long enough before Edward pulled out, pulled his hands back and rolled over on his back. Bella rolled over as well, the closeness of his body nerve wracking even though he had just been as close to her as humanly possible; inside her.

Neither of them spoke as Edward rearranged the covers, not moving away from Bella much to her delight. Lying arm against arm, skin against skin, they fell asleep.

~O~O~O

Something was different and it wasn't the beautiful engagement ring and wedding ring that now adorned her hand, both of them a thin silver band with a single diamond on them. Together on her finger they looked like one beautiful ring, one of a kind. No, it was not the rings, or the heavenly bed but the heavenly scent of a man underneath her.

Blinking, the morning light bright in her new bed room, Bella lifted her head enough from her new pillow to look into a pair of intensely green eyes.

"Morning," he smirked and Bella got the sudden urge to slap the smirk of his face.

"Good morning," she murmured, pushing herself off his chest, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes; she could stay in the bed forever, live there, give birth there and die there, well rested at all time, comfortable at all time and simply happy. "What time is it?" she asked as she fished her panties out from the crumbled bed spread at the end of the bed.

"A few minutes past eight," Edward answered, stretching and placing his hand behind his head as he watched her with humor, showing off his chest.

"Should we go down for breakfast or…" she trailed off, her eyes racking over the naked man next to her.

"Hungry after the little rendezvous we had?" the smirk was making Bella's hands to itch and it took a great deal of strength to keep herself from slapping, or throwing herself at him.

"I'm hungry because a tiny human being is growing inside me, draining me for any energy I have and unless I eat, that tiny little human being won't grow strong and it will…" Bella couldn't say the word and swallowed largely and loudly before adding, "I'm hungry, deal with it."

"Don't worry, Esme is bringing us breakfast as this will be our honeymoon," he said, perfectly dodging Bella's thoughts of something happening to the baby.

"Our wedding night was our honeymoon?" Bella was surprisingly disappointed.

"No; our wedding night was our wedding night but starting from now is our honeymoon that will last for a week or two. This was easier as Carlisle is refusing to let you travel anywhere far away."

"Okay, I think I'm going to take a shower," Bella murmured, shaking her head as her eyes traveled to the very distinct swelling around the lower part of Edward's body.

Fresh out from the shower, wet and flushed, Bella felt refreshed, clean and more awake, but she was also fully aware that she had forgotten to bring clean clothes into the bathroom and that she would be very much naked in the same room as Edward. Like a nervous school girl, she wrapped herself up in a fluffy white bathrobe and took a deep breath before leaving the warm sanctuary of the bathroom.

"Good morning Bella," Esme was smiling widely as she placed a tray laden with food on the table underneath the TV, which were hanging on the wall opposite from the bed. Edward, now dressed in a pair of low hanging jeans and a black t-shirt, but he was still lying on the bed.

"Oh, good morning," Bella smiled weakly, holding the flaps of the robe tightly together so she wouldn't accidently flash herself to Esme.

"I've brought you some breakfast," she said with a smile before turning to Edward, the smile paling, "I expect you to feed your wife properly, son."

"Duly noted, mother," he smiled, making a gesture as if he were wearing a hat and tipping it to his mother.

"Can you look another way?" Bella asked after Esme had left.

"Why?" Edward asked, his eyes roaming over her.

"So I can change; I don't want to change in the bathroom because my skin will only get sticky and it will be impossible to put the clothes on."

"I've seen you naked before," Edward stated and he was right.

"Yes, I know you have but I'm not exactly looking the same way now as the last time you saw."

"A naked woman is a naked woman, not matter what and I are not going to turn another way because I won't be able to when I know that a naked woman is standing behind me. So, you have two choices; ignore me or get dressed in the bathroom."

Bella gave Edward her best glare, flattered and a wee bit insulted on the behalf of every woman in the world, skinny, chubby, pregnant or not.

"Fine," she snapped at him, turning to her dresser to find underwear and her sweats, but a t-shirt big enough to be comfortable, she nicked from Edward when he wasn't paying attention to her for a few seconds.

Letting the robe fall to the floor, she stood naked as the day she was born in front of Edward and she could feel his eyes on her, but she did her best to ignore him as she straightened out her bra before putting on and fastening it. After putting on her panties, she pulled Edward's t-shirt over her head and as she reached for her sweats, they were snapped away from her.

"Can I have my pants back?" asked, taking a step towards Edward, who was smiling brightly at her, like a little kid in a candy store.

"I don't see why you need them; there's only the two of us here."

"I'm going to get cold without them."

"There are more than enough blankets here, we have the covers and I can turn up the heat if it is needed."

"If I'm going to walk around only half dressed, it's only fair that you will be half dressed as well, don't you think?" Bella smiled innocently.

"As you wish," swiftly, he took of his t-shirt and with her sweats, threw it on the chair before offering her his hand and guiding her over to the bed.

As Bella settled in against the headboard, her legs in lotus, Edward picked up the tray and placed it on the bed before he joined, sitting next to her but not leaning against the headboard with her.

In almost silence, they ate the food Esme had made for them as they watched old shows on TV. When _Cheers_ started, Bella started to hum the intro as she was putting jam on some toast. She had never been able to learn the lyrics and struggled a little when she tried, making Edward laugh.

"If I had known I was so funny when I was younger, I could have become a stand-up comedian instead of dealing with the Italian, Russian and British mob."

"As a part of them mob you wish you were a comedian, but as a comedian, you would wish your life was more exciting and you would wish you were a part of them mob or some dangerous tribe where you will be risking your life every minute of the day."

"You do understand I was sarcastic, right?" Bella had to ask, not quite sure if her sarcasm had been clear enough in her voice.

"Don't worry," Edward smiled, "I'm just messing with you."

"Oh, you're so funny," Bella laughed humorlessly, smacking him on the arm, the warmth of his skin making her fingers tingle.

Full on pancakes and bacon, Bella turned her attention over on Edward, watching him as he laughed and saying the lines with the actors on the TV. Her eyes wandered from his bright eyes, to soft and kissable lips, down to his broad shoulders and over the tattoo that covered his whole right arm. It was a dragon, its mouth on his wrist, making it look as if the dragon had swallowed his arm. The body covered his whole arm and went to his shoulder before going down his chest and curl around his right pecks, continuing down his stomach and down to his…

"Yes, it goes all the way down," Bella's eyes snapped up to Edward's and she was aware that she was on the brink of drooling.

"W-what?"

"My tattoo; I know you were watching and to answer your unspoken question, it does continue all the way down."

"Can I see it?" Bella asked, biting her lip as she stared at his crotch, imagining how far it actually did go and how it would look like. When Edward's hands came down and started to undo the button of his jeans, Bella rocked forward, stiffening a moan as she saw the tail and a strip of hair leading down to his…

He stopped.

"I will only show you mine if you show me yours; tit for tat," he smirked, his eyes racking over her body.

"So you want to see my tits?" Bella asked, batting her eyelashes and she suppressed a shudder; she hated the word 'tit' or 'tits'.

"I wouldn't mind; if you're going to see me naked, I want to see you naked."

"Who said anything about being naked?" Bella questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, if you're going to see the end of this dragon, you will have to see me naked."

"Fine," Bella shrugged, quickly taking off the t-shirt and her bra, leaving herself in only her panties before she leaned forward and unzipped his jeans, eagerly tugging them down. Giving her better access and some help to get his jeans off, Edward lay down on his back and arched his hips off the mattress.

With the jeans off, all Bella could do was to stare; he was fully erect and it seemed that he had no plans in hiding it either. But apart from her eyes immediately zooning in on his erection, Bella saw the tail of the dragon. First it looked as if it stopped at the base of his penis but it continued to the right before stopping at the top of his inner thigh.

Looking up, Bella looked into Edward's lustful eyes, knowing that her own eyes were hooded in arousal; never in her life had she wanted a man as much as she wanted Edward at that moment.

Pushing himself off the bed, Edward took the tray and placed in back on the table before returning to the bed, pushing Bella gently down on her back, leaning down to kiss her on the lips softly, continuing down her neck, over her breasts, down her belly and stopping at the top her panties. Looking up at her with a smirk, he winked at her and Bella's stomach fluttered, not only because the baby kicked her, but because there was something about Edward that drove her crazy.

Bending down between her legs again, she could feel his teeth against her skin as he took the top of her panties between his teeth and pulled. She could hear the rip but she didn't care, and if she had, she would care much longer when she felt him pull away the pieces left. When he kissed her moist cleft, she almost came and arched up against him, making him laugh against her.

"I want you on all fours," he commanded, flipping her carefully over on her side.

"Kinky much?" she laughed but did as he asked because she didn't care what way he wanted her as long as he wanted her.

On all fours, she could feel his hands roam her butt before he gently and slowly entered her. Bella felt full and amazing and when he moved, a shaky moan escaped her lips. He laughed again as he leaned his chest against her back, making Bella wonder what he was doing.

She was surprised when she felt him cup her breast, twirling her nipples a little before pulling her up so she was standing on her knees in front of him, her back against his chest. In that position he filled her on a whole other way and he pressed against spots inside her that pushed her closer to the edge faster than she had ever been pushed.

"Close already?" Edward breathed in her air and all she could do was nod when his hand came down between her legs and found the little nub nestled between her folds.

"Come for me Bella," he commanded in a breathless whisper and Bella did, her head falling back against his shoulder, Edward's lips on her neck as she shuddered violently against him, whimpers and moans erupting from her mouth.

She was on the top of her high when a nasal voice filled the room and she could hear a door being open, but she couldn't hold back her orgasm and cried out when Edward trusted hard inside.

"Edward! You were supposed to teach me how to shoot a gun!"


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter twelve

_**Anyone who has the power to make you believe absurdities has the power to make you commit injustices.**_

_**Voltaire**_

"_Edward! You were supposed to teach me how to shoot a gun!"_

"Tanya, get out!" Edward hollered and Bella knew he was close but that he didn't want to come in front of his cousin, who apparently didn't mind watching her cousin fucking his wife.

"But Edward…" she whined.

"Get! Out! Now!" he roared and she got the picture. "Sorry," he whispered in Bella's ear, lowering them down on the bed, lying Bella on her side, still inside her.

"You didn't finish," Bella murmured, still a little dazed from her own climax.

"I will live."

"It's unfair, though," Bella said, pulling away from Edward so he could slip out of her. Getting on her knees, she smiled at him before bending down and taking him into her mouth. His hips arched and she hummed against his shaft, making him moan. She knew he had been close when Tanya had barged in so it didn't take long before she could feel him cum, filling her mouth with his semen.

Smiling, she sat back on the bed and looked at him. His eyes were closed but he was smiling.

"God you're good," he breathed, opening his eyes to look at her. Suddenly she had the urge to hide away from him and she could feel herself blushing. The last time she had given someone a blowjob, she was nineteen and the guy came almost as soon as her lips were upon him.

"You welcome," she murmured, finding the covers suddenly very interesting.

"Okay, you need another shower and so do I, so get your ass of the bed and come with me," before she could utter a sound, he had dragged her to her feet and had her in his arms, making her squeal in surprise.

He carried her into the bathroom, the door slamming shut behind them and he didn't put her down before they both were inside the shower. Apparently he hadn't thought it all through when he turned on the water, spraying them both in ice cold water, making Bella shriek and cling to him as the water slowly turned warmer.

"Sorry," he chuckled, keeping one arm around her as he reached for some body wash and opened it. His arm was still around her as he poured some into his hand and started to wash her back. Bella felt herself grow tired as Edward washed her back with soft hands, fluttering over her skin, she found herself leaning more and more on Edward with every touch and before she knew it, her lids were dropping and she was falling asleep right there in the shower.

~O~O~O

"-so you're saying that Tanya is lying?" Bella was woken up by loud and angry voices coming from the front room. Sitting up in bed, blinking profoundly, she stretched her arms above her head before getting out and pulling her robe around her naked form.

"I'm saying that she don't know what she saw, dad," Edward's voice was raised and angry and Bella wondered what he and Carlisle was arguing about. She wasn't sure if it would be a good idea to join them, to learn what they were talking about, or stay in their room and pretend that she hadn't heard them.

No, she was too curious to just sit by and wait. They didn't notice her joining them before she was standing next to Edward, but neither of them said anything to her, continuing their argument.

"Tanya wouldn't come to me so distraught unless she saw something that wasn't right," Carlisle said angrily.

"For the last time dad, I was fucking my wife!" Edward shouted, making Bella blush.

"You don't fuck your wide, son; you make love to her," Carlisle said sadly, glancing once at Bella, who agree with Carlisle, but she also knew that Edward had fucked her and done a very good job at doing so as well.

"Fucking, making love, it doesn't matter what I did because I didn't rape her."

"Rape?" Bella questioned with wide eyes.

"I would like to talk with Bella alone," Carlisle said, once again giving her a sad glance.

"No, I'm not-"

"Edward," Bella warned and he didn't fight her on it, but sauntered into their bedroom, slamming the door like a child. She was glad that he had understood that she wasn't kidding when she told him that she could easily smother him by sitting on top of him, even if she was half his size.

"Bella, I want you to tell me what was going on when Tanya walked into your room. She told me that she heard screaming and that she was afraid that Edward was hurting you," Carlisle took Bella's hand and led her over to a couch.

"As Edward said Tanya is lying, or she must have misunderstood what she walked in on because Edward wasn't hurting me in any way and he most defiantly did not rape," Bella told him calmly.

"But she said that you forcible held against him, your arms pinned to your side as he…" Carlisle couldn't finish the sentence and Bella couldn't blame him; talking about your son as if he was rapist was not something to take lightly.

"I am very uncomfortable talking about this, but that was the position we were in, though my arms were free. In fact, they were holding on to Edward for support."

"So Edward didn't force you into anything? I know that the two of you aren't so happy about this marriage and that you don't care much for each other, but I hope that you can make it work."

"I think we're already a long shot ahead of you, Carlisle, and don't worry about us killing each other because I have a feeling that the urge will never be there, for either of us."

"I'm glad to hear that," Carlisle said, giving Bella a hug before walking out.

"Carlisle," Bella called after him and he hovered at the door, "You should apologize to Edward."

"I know, but I think it would be wiser to wait until he's calmed down a little. Right now I also have to talk with Tanya."

Maybe he was right; Edward was far the best man to talk to when he was angry and she had experienced it several times, but she had the benefit of being a woman and not bound to him by blood; she could use her womanly curves and attributes to calm him down. She had a feeling that she might have to use them as she entered their bedroom again, but she wasn't sure if she could take it.

Edward was pacing back and forth in front of the bed, mumbling curses under his breath every time he turned and walked the other way.

"Carlisle went to talk with Tanya," Bella said as she found some fresh underwear and tried to dress for the second time that day. Her sweats were still lying on the chair with Edward's t-shirt and she put both of the pieces on. Dressed in all black she remembered how it was to get ready before going out there, geared up for combat.

"You wanted it too, right?" Bella turned to look at Edward as she gathered her tangled hair into a bun.

"These days I'm always willing," Bella laughed but Edward didn't smile.

"That doesn't help my case and it's not funny."

"Yes, I was willing, more than you can even understand. Just looking at you makes me throb, to smell you make me want to throw myself at you and your touch, your touch makes me simply crazy," Bella said, looking him dead in the eye.

"Well, if that's the case, I have no problem help you take care of your problem, to keep you stated," he smirked, moving over to her and pressing her up against the wall, trapping her with his strong and sculpted body.

"I wouldn't mind at all," Bella breathed, doing her best to keep herself together. "But I don't think I can handle you one more time today."

"Too big for you, eh?" he purred into her ear, making her legs feel like jelly.

"You can say that," she basically moaned, her eyes closed as he ran his nose up and down her throat.

"When did 'big' become a problem?"

"It's not but your girth and fullness is kind of making me a little sore, so no matter how much I want you I can't right now."

"Okay, let's watch a movie instead," and then he was off her and she felt frustrated. He turned to look at her with a smirk before adding "When you give me the green light, I will be upon you in matter of seconds."

"Is that a promise?"

"Yes and it's a promise that I will keep."

Edward was a very stereotypical guy when it came to movies Bella learned; he had the whole collection of the Die Hard movies and of course he popped the first one in before Bella could even utter a single word. Even though they weren't her favorite movies, she didn't mind them; they were good, full of action that was more or less believable an easy to watch.

Through the first three movies Bella lay on the bed with her head in Edward's lap, who sat up against the headboard, as she stroked circles on her Bella, Edward making circles on her arms. Right there she believed that maybe their marriage would be a perfectly happy one with the more than enough love for the little person still growing inside her. And who knew, maybe they would end up with a bigger family than just the three of them.

Bella started to doze off during the fourth movie and she fell asleep before it was half way through, Edward still stroking her arm in a soothing manner. But when an explosion on the TV woke her up, Edward was gone and the spot where he had been sitting was cold.

Bewildered, sat up, the covers falling off her and making her shiver as the room had grown cold during the long hours of no tending to the heat. Rubbing her hands against her arms she hunted down a hoodie belonging to Edward, letting the long arms enfold her and protect her from the chilling air of the room.

With fumbling hands she played with the radiator, trying to figure out how it worked as it wasn't like any radiator she had ever seen in her life before. When she was satisfied with the heat it radiated, she fluffed up the pillows and covers before starting her hunt on something to eat.

The house smelled like pizza and Bella's stomach growled loudly and she had laugh a little when the baby kicked her as well, letting her know that he or she was hungry as well.

No one was sitting in the living room and no one was to be found in the kitchen either. For a moment Bella wondered if they all had decided to keep her out from any family business but when she saw a pizza box on the kitchen counter, she almost ran towards with a hope that there would be pizza inside it.

And it was. A very cheesy peperoni pizza that was untouched stood in front of her and her mouth watered at the sight of it.

"It's for you and Edward," Bella spun around to see Tanya standing in the door.

"I'm sorry Tanya but I'm not in the mood of talking with you right now," Bella said rather rudely as she found herself a plate.

"Of course you're not in the mood; there's food in front of you and you have to admit it Bella, you have been eating a lot lately." Angry, Bella turned to Tanya and stared at her in shock.

"I'm pregnant so I have no choice but to eat more than normally," Bella all but shouted.

"I've never seen someone pregnant eat as much as you do," Tanya said, looking rather lost where she was standing, staring at Bella.

"Well, I don't care so I'm going to eat this pizza and I don't care if I end up eating all of it by myself. But Tanya, I have a question for you; why did you tell Carlisle that Edward was mistreating me?"

"The way he was holding you Bella was not normal; he held you as if he wanted to hurt you Bella, but I guess you can't see that, being in the wedding bliss and all."

"Edward wouldn't hurt me, he wouldn't hurt anyone in his family."

"That's the thing Bella, you're not family, only a girl who fooled him and forced him to marry you so you wouldn't have to raise the baby all by yourself."

"Tanya, you know what, I won't grant you with a witty comment or a cruel comeback because I just want to eat some pizza, find Edward and make sure that he's okay before going to bed and sleep until this baby pops out of me. If you still have something to say to me, write it down on a piece of paper, I have a feeling that a post-it will be more than sufficient, and I will read it one day when I have time," she brushed past Tanya with three pieces of pizza on her plate as she started to search for Edward.

She didn't find him. He wasn't in the gym, the den, the garage and he wasn't in his old room or in the garden; he was nowhere to be found. And Bella didn't eat the three pieces of pizza she brought with her up to their room. She managed one but then her stomach said no as she was for probably no reason worrying about Edward. A small piece of her mind kept screaming at her that Tanya was right and for all she knew, even though they were related by blood, they still shared something passionately together.

Shaking any thoughts of Edward and Tanya together out of her head, Bella got ready for bed, curling around the pillow from Edward's side as her belly was making it almost impossible for her to sleep no matter what kind of position she was in. One position she knew she could sleep in involved a certain person that was missing.

Her eyes grew heavy as she stared out on the night sky, clouds roaming the sky in great speed, covering the scars and the moon on their way.

A storm was coming, that was clear, and somewhere in her gut Bella could feel that something, much like a storm, would happen inside the house's four walls.

Sleep had trouble finding Bella that night but even so, she pretended to be sleeping when she heard Edward, and even smelled him, when he came to bed. When she woke up only hours later, he was gone but his side of the bed was still warm.

Ignoring the feelings of doubt inside her, Bella couldn't ignore the pressing on her bladder or the feeling of being watched but there was no one in the room and she was on such a high floor that no one on the ground outside could see into the window unless they were high up in one of the trees.

After she had done her business in the bathroom, Bella almost stumbled into someone and for a moment, she thought it was Edward, but the form was slumped and much shorter than the height of Edward. She had no need to see the face to know who it was.

"Alec," instinctively, Bella wanted to feel a weapon in her hand as she stared the man in front of her in the eyes.

"Hello Bella," he smiled wickedly, his eyes cold and dead. "I see you've been cozying up in here."

"It doesn't matter if have or not because it's none of your business," Bella said, her voice just as dead as Alec's.

"Did I touch a sore spot?" he mocked, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"Not as sore as the spot I will be hitting," Bella threatened, the urge to hit him growing stronger and her wish to castrate him exploding inside her.

"What makes you think that you will be able to lay a hand on me, baby?" he laughed as Bella scanned him for weapons, but she couldn't see any on him. "Don't worry baby, I don't have any weapons but it doesn't mean that I'm not going to leave you hanging to your life by a thin thread."

"I know you think that just because I'm pregnant, I'm not going to be able to kick your ass and feed you your balls, but you're wrong. But just know that if you threaten my baby ever again, I will make sure that you will never see daylight ever again."

"Oh, look at you all fierce and fiery!" Alec cheered, jumping to his feet. "I wonder, are you still a fire in the bed or if you've grown soft since the last time I had your legs around my head," he stepped closer to her and much to her disgust, he ran his tongue along her neck before taking a step back.

"If I've grown soft, you will never know," Bella hissed, anger surging through her body.

"Don't worry baby, I'm not here to fuck, only to make your life a little harder," he grinned and Bella could see that he was enjoying it, getting a kick out of it all. She watched him as he took her rube and removed the rope, tugging it between his hands as if to check the strength.

Her eyes didn't leave him as he made a noose with the bathrobe rope and she knew what he had in mind.

"When they find you, they will assume that you've killed yourself and they will be so stricken by grief that they won't know that it was me and that I'm gone before the whole Volturi is standing on the doorstep, ready to blow the house to pieces."

Panic was starting rise in Bella, doubt that she would be able to get away from Alec without getting hurt. A hand went protectively over her belly, going unnoticed by Alec who was too busy preparing to kill her and as she watched him, Bella knew that she would do anything to protect her baby.

"Alec, they will – ARGH!" Bella sank to the floor, her hands going over her belly protectively.

"What now?" Alec demanded to know, turning to look at her for a minute.

"The baby," Bella gasped, "I-I think it's coming," just then she groaned loudly, crumbling to her side in pain

"Seriously? Right now?"

"Yes, ughn, right now."

"Shit," Bella watched Alec panic as she shock in pain. "Can't you try to keep it in or something?" he asked idiotically and Bella wanted to laugh.

"No," Bella gasped again, trying to push herself up in a sitting position. "I think you have to deliver it," as she said it, she spread her legs, making Alec stumble away from her in panic and hitting the bed.

"No, I can't do that, no, just no," he stuttered, obviously nervous. "I have to get out," he mumbled to himself, walking over to the window.

"You're not going anywhere," a shot rang through the room and Alec fell to the floor with a cry of pain.

Bella watched as Edward, Emmett and Jasper rushed into the room and over to Alec to make sure he wouldn't try to run for it.

"Go to Bella," she heard Jasper say and in a blink of an eye, Edward was at her side, helping her to her feet.

"Sit down so I can get Carlisle," he guided her to the bed.

"Edward, I'm fine," Bella tried to tell him but he wouldn't listen.

"How far are the contractions?" he asked, obviously unsure what to do, how to handle it all.

"Edward," Bella gripped his chin harshly and forced him to look at her, "I'm not in labor, we're both fine, I just pretend so I could by us some time."

"You're not going cry out in pain and then have a baby popping out of you?"

"No, no baby is going to pop out of me tonight," she smiled, cupping his cheek. "But if you're lucky, you might pop inside me later," she whispered in his year so Emmett and Jasper wouldn't hear her.

"Okay, come along buddy," Emmett said and Bella turned to see him hoist Alec to his feet with a groan. "If you're lucky, maybe Carlisle will take the bullet out as well as patching you up."

"Wait a minute," Bella pushed Edward out of the way as Emmett and Jasper dragged Alec past them. "There's something I would love to do," she smiled as she walked over to Alec. With a smile, she pushed her hand down his pants and grabbed his balls, squeezing them until he trashed and almost kicked her. It was Edward who made her stop but it didn't take the smile of her face.

"You can tell Carlisle that if he wants to set an example with Alec, castrating would be a good idea."

"Man, getting on your wrong side can be dangerous," Emmett laughed as they left, leaving Edward Bella alone in the room.

"I think Carlisle should take a look at you," Edward insisted, grabbing her hand.

"I'm fine," she laughed, pulling her hand back. "All I am is tired and all I want is a shower, some sleep and you, not necessarily in that order."

"I would gladly take you but I have a suggestion; why don't we sleep, then I have my way with you in the morning, followed by a shower or a hot bath?"

"Sounds very tempting."

"Good, then that's what we will do."

"But Edward, where were you tonight? When I woke up at the end of the third movie, you were gone and when I looked for you I couldn't find you."

"I was with the guys in the den playing videogames," he said, smiling to assure her.


End file.
